| |
NEWSLETTER 17, December 2003 Results
of the Monitoring of Chinese Garment Suppliers |
The report makes public the findings of a code monitoring pilot project
initiated by the Swiss Clean Clothes Campaign in collaboration with three Swiss
companies: Migros, Switcher and Veillon. The pilot project was one outcome
of a major Swiss CCC campaign calling on garment retailers to respect the rights
of workers who make their products. The three companies reacted positively to
the campaign by adopting codes of conduct and agreeing to cooperate with independent
monitoring of supply factories in India and China.
China Pilot Project
monitors compliance and initiates training
The China pilot project monitored
working conditions and labor practices at two supplier factories, the first located
near Shanghai and producing for Switcher, and the second located in Dongguan,
Guangdong province and producing for both Migros and Veillon. Factory visits by
two freelance social auditors were preceded by worker interviews carried out by
Hong Kong-based NGOs and researchers. According to the CCC, the two and a half
day factory visits were unannounced and consisted of "extensive discussions
with management, inspection of the factory and dormitory, examination of written
evidence and a closing meeting".
Follow-up visits verified the degree
to which the suppliers were complying with the codes and assessed progress in
correcting problems identified in the initial worker interviews and factory visits.
The pilot project also included a series of training sessions on the Code for
workers at one of the factories, with the collaboration of a local NGO.
Monitoring
brings results
The follow-up visit to the Switcher supply factory found
improvements in compliance with hours of work provisions and payment of minimum
wage, statutory holidays and overtime pay, as well as health and safety practices
and health services. The report also points to improvements in management systems
and procedures needed to implement the Code. It calls for more transparent calculation
of wages so workers know what they are paid for, the elimination of salary deductions
for disciplinary purposes, and the use of one consistent and accurate version
of the Code summary that is distributed to workers.
While the follow-up
visit to the Migros and Veillon supply factory also found improvements in health
and safety practices, it identified major problems with a lack of transparency
and unreliability of evidence provided to auditors concerning wages and hours
of work. The report notes that recommendations made in the initial visit concerning
wage slips, payment of overtime, statutory holiday pay, social insurance contributions,
and deductions for disciplinary reasons were not acted upon. It recommends "in-depth
discussions" between the retailers and factory management "to dispel
the latter's mistrust of the pilot project's visits, to acknowledge the non-conformities
and to ensure in the future full transparency in order to start solving these
breaches."
The report is available in English only at: www.cleanclothes.ch/d/Reports.htm
Please see the Swiss CCC website for news on forthcoming case studies, and
"Challenges in China: Experiences from Two CCC Pilot Projects on Monitoring
and Verification of Code Compliance", written by Nina Ascoly and Ineke Zeldenrust.
The paper documents the experiences of the Swedish and Swiss pilot projects on
possible methods for monitoring and verifying compliance with codes of labor standards
that the campaign started to become involved in between 1998-2001. The paper can
be downloaded at:
www.cleanclothes.org/codes/03-10-china.htm.
New
ETI Workbook Published
The Ethical Trading Initiative published the
first edition of their workbook, a resourceaimed at helping companies grappling
with the practical challenges of ethical trade. Presented as step-by-step guidance,
the workbook covers the key management issues that retailers and other sourcing
companies need to address in setting up and implementing an ethical sourcing strategy
or code of labor practice.
Copies can be ordered via ETI at: Cromwell House,
14 Fulwood Place, London WC1V 6HZ, UK;
tel/fax + 44 (0) 20 78 31 78 52,
or
by e-mail at: workbook@eti.org.uk
3rd
Revised Edition of "Workers' tool or PR ploy?"
The third revised
edition of this guide to codes of international labor practice by Ingeborg Wick
was published in March 2003. Since the publication of the first edition of this
booklet in March 2001, the international debate on codes of conduct has gained
further momentum. This debate is a reflection of a growing worldwide movement
questioning the social impact of globalization. See the website of Südwind:
www.suedwind-institut.de,
and website of Friedrich Ebert Stiftung:
www.fes.de,
or download at:
www.cleanclothes.org/ftp/Workers-tool-2003.pdf.
