From CCC Newsletter No-11 july 1999

Fighting for discloure as a means to defend workers’ rights:
Italian Campaign Pushes for Legislation

Back in June 1998 in Italy, Centro Nuovo Modello di Sviluppo, in cooperation with other Italian NGOs, organized a campaign called “transparent shopping” to pressure the Italian parliament to pass legislation that would create a controlling body for socially-guaranteed products and which would compel business enterprises to supply information on prices and suppliers as a means of opposing child labour and violations of human rights.

After six months of campaigning, 160,000 people from all over Italy signed on in support of the following letter presented in January 1999 to Luciano Violante President of the Italian Deputies Assemby:

“As citizens and consumers, we are disgusted by the continued reports from Italy and abroad of the illegal exploitation of child labour and degrading working conditions for adults.

We know that the causes behind this phenomenon are to be sought at various levels but we are also well aware of the continuing responsibility of the enterprises who comply less and less with the rights of the people.

It is our opinion that any violation of national laws and international conventions by the companies is helped along by the lack of inspections and by the absence of those means by which the consumer is able to choose goods according to the social and environmental conditions in which they have been produced; conditions which, of course, must also take into account the treatment of the workers and what percentage of wealth is sown back into the country of origin of the product.

We would, therefore, call on Parliament to adopt a legislative measure which would compel the enterprises to supply detailed information on their production and distribution chains, thus creating the means by which consumers would be able to choose goods according to their level of socially-guaranteed quality.”

Since January, several members of Parliament have been contacted and a proposed law has been presented. The proposal is composed by 15 articles and is centered on the following points:

1 - Transparency of socio-environmental conditions during production
The bill requires that firms with a turnover exceeding 1 million ECU be obliged to publish a socio-environmental report containing relevant information as to the socio-environmental conditions in which goods and services distributed on the Italian market have been obtained.

2 - Surveillance authority
The bill requires the creation of a surveillance authority on the socio-environmental conditions during production with the power to investigate, research, and inform its findings. If violations are verified, the authority shall express its findings and forces the firm which has committed such infringements or has dealings with the foreign firm which has committed them, to publish such findings in the press, at its own expense.

3 - Quality of labour label
The bill requires the creation of a quality of labour label named QL+. The label shall be attributed by the authority, on request, to all those Italian firms which investigations show to be in conformity with national labour legislation and which have no dealings with foreign suppliers or affiliated suppliers which violate the fundamental rights of workers as stipulated by international conventions.

4 - Modification of legislation in favour of enterprises
The Bill introduces the obligation to be the holder of a QL+ label in order to benefit from the financial aid granted for commercial activities abroad.
5 - Advisory committee to the authority
The bill calls for the creation of an advisory committee to the authority for advice and proposals. The committee shall comprise representatives from the government, trade union organisations, company associations, and consumer and international cooperation groups.

6- Country of origin
The bill includes the obligation to state the country of origin on labels.


It is expected that it will take some time for this proposed law to come to a final vote. Therefore, the 500 groups from all over Italy who have supported the campaign, remain in contact and have been encouraged to take actionwhenever it’s necessary to push the law a step further. In other words, a permanent popular lobby task force has been created.