|
|
NEWSLETTER 14, JULY 2001
Editorial
|
 As
most of the readers of this newsletter already know, the Clean
Clothes Campaign is all about improving working conditions in
the garment and sports shoe industry. All of our activities are
geared toward reaching that goal. That's why we feel it's important
to share the information we have on just what the working conditions
are where clothing and sports shoes are produced. In this issue
of the newsletter we present information from garment workers
in Africa, Asia, and Eastern Europe. What they've told us is not
good -- the instances of union repression, harassment, low wages
and long hours, to name just a few of the problems, is alarmingly
frequent. We hope that these stories are informative, but also
that they motivate people to take action to change the current
reality in so many workplaces around the world.
The CCC has been doing quite a lot of thinking lately on just
what forms of action make the most sense in the current context.
We've just wrapped up a process of evaluating our activities during
the past 10 years and have gotten to work on strategizing for
the future. Much of the thinking that's gone into all this evaluation
and future planning took place at a gathering of all the CCCs
and the wider CCC network of partners from around the world. An
article on this meeting, which was held in March in Barcelona,
is included in this issue of the newsletter.
One of the important initiatives that the CCC is involved in
is a project to better understand the possibilities and the limitations
of different models of independent verification of working conditions
in the garment industry. Five CCCs are currently involved in initiatives
to test monitoring and verification systems and have regularly
been coming together, via a one-year project, to share information
and reflect upon the lessons that have been learned during these
experiences. An article on this project informs readers on how
far these initiatives have gone and on some of the specific concerns
the CCC has with the process of monitoring and verifying production
facilities. As always, the newsletter also includes reports from
several of the CCCs. For regular updates on CCC activities we
encourage readers to visit our websites.
|
