A common event from:
Hamburg University of Economics and Politics/HWP and the Hans-Böckler-Foundation/HBS
Hamburg, October 4 and 5, 2001

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Introduction:
Codes of Conduct and Monitoring - International Seminar at Hamburg University of Economics and Politics, October 4 and 5

The working group (Dr. Ronald Köpke, Dr. Wolfgang Röhr and Gaby Runge) of the research project on "Codes of Conduct and Monitoring" (director of the CoC Project Prof. Dr. Jürgen Hoffmann) at Hamburg University for Economics and Politics organised an International Seminar, which took place on 4 and 5 October 2001, in cooperation with the Hans Boeckler Foundation. Around 70 participants from 15 countries (Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, U.K., Switzerland, Romania, Poland, El Salvador, Costa Rica, India, Colombia, China, Peru, USA and Canada), from Universities, NGOs, Trade Unions and Companies assisted to this event. The aim was to present and discuss the final report of the research project.

The project presentation consisted of an analysis of the challenges of globalisation (Jürgen Hoffmann/ HWP), the results from the survey with German enterprises (Ronald Köpke/ HWP), legal and hard law measures (Eva Kocher/ HWP), the U.S. debate in the thirties (Sebastian Siegele/ FHTW-Berlin), Gender and Monitoring (Ma. Carolina Quinteros/ GMIES, El Salvador), and of the debate over the Gas and Oil Industry (Gaby Runge/ HWP).

In addition, the MP Sigrid Skapelis-Sperk presented the report by the Inquiry Commission on Globalisation of Trade and Investment of the German Parliament, and explained the latter's approach to the issue of Codes of Conduct.

The Southern representatives in particular, but also the German companies, contributed important and interesting statements to the debate.

Monina Wong from the Hong Kong Christian Industrial Committee emphasized that institutionalised external or internal Monitoring of private Standards is impossible, as long as workers themselves are not sufficiently empowered to monitor labour conditions.

In the frame of the contribution to the HWP report made by her, Carolina Quinteros, from the Independent Monitoring Group of El Salvador, stated that state-independent third party agents from "civil society", as well as trade unions and companies need to participate immediately in the Monitoring process. To the organizations that carry out such Independent Monitorings belongs a new type of women's organizations that develop a more integral view on local labour conditions in export plants.

Ramón Barrantes, from the Costa Rican banana worker's union COLSIBACR, explained how unions forced Chiquita to respect social minimum standards, including the freedom of association and the right to collective bargaining.

Jochen Overmeier from the garment retailer C&A stressed that companies are working to improve labour conditions in its supplier chain, but that NGOs will never get direct access to the company's decision making.

Ineke Zeldenrust from the European Clean Clothes Campaign, and Lynda Yanz from the Canadian Maquila Solidarity Network, responded that companies in Germany will also have to disclose their monitoring practices to consumers. The subject of the final discussion was the German Roundtable on Codes of Conduct, of which Ineke Zeldenrust gave an overview on the European experiences.

On October 6, the HWP research-working group organised an informal meeting for NGO and trade union representatives at the Lutheran University in Hamburg in cooperation with the Dutch SOMO institute and the CCC secretary from Amsterdam.

Some of the contributions and discussions, including current documentation, are available on print. Finally, we would like to thank all the speakers, participants and supporters from the different universities, companies, trade unions, the Hamburg University for Economics and Politics, the Hans-Böckler-Foundation and NGOs for their contribution to a very successful seminar.

Wolfgang Röhr
(roehrW@hwp-hamburg.de)
Ronald Köpke
(ronald.koepke@nexgo.de/ www.florece.de)