Index

NEWSLETTER 22, Oct 2006 Editorial

This edition of the newsletter includes many examples of CCC supporters in action, with a variety of initiatives underway to mobilise people to push for better conditions for the world's garment workers.

CCC T-shirts and stickers were worn by 600 runners in Vienna's marathon in May, as part of the "Let's Run Fair" campaign organised by the Austrian CCC. A highlight of the day was an appearance by the world record holder for 24-hour barefoot running, Dietmar Mücke, in support of the CCC.

CCC activists continue to keep busy gathering, translating and distributing information on the reality workers face in the workplaces where our clothes are made (see for example the New Resources on pages 25-27); pushing companies, governments and others to do the best they can for workers (see the Urgent Appeals cases highlighted on pages 19-22 for some concrete examples); and taking to the streets to make clear to the public that there's still a lot of work to be done when it comes to labour rights in the garment industry. In recent months CCC activists have donned inspection gear, run marathons (see right), and even ridden on a fire truck in various attempts to get this important point across.

Companies are also in a race, unfortunately this seems to be a race to the bottom - where costs are pushed as low as possible and profits are maximised at the expense of the quality of life for the people who actually produce the goods. Garment workers are being squeezed: low wages, long hours and ongoing repression of their attempts to organise to push for improvements. CCC supporters are on the street (and on the phone and in the meeting room) to remind the public (and companies of course) of the role they can and should play in stopping that race to the bottom. Featured in this edition of the newsletter are some basic questions people can ask the retailers they patronise (pages 16-18) and let them know that good bargains in the shops shouldn't come at the expense of workers. The growth in Clean Clothes Communities work (see page 4) is a positive example of people coming together where they live to do something to support garment workers. The report on the Jo-In project (pages 12-15) explains how the CCC has come together with the main multi-stakeholder initiatives to push for code compliance efforts to develop in a way that is most beneficial for workers.

While some CCC activities tie in with certain events, for example the World Cup held earlier this year in Germany (see page 10 for a report), others are more sustained, for example the plan in the UK to incorporate garment workers' rights issues into the studies of those being trained at fashion colleges (for more on this see page 4). Whatever form they take, these myriad CCC activities are our contribution towards what we hope will be lasting and positive changes.

We encourage readers to share, reprint or distribute any information found within this newsletter. A digital version can
be found at www.cleanclothes.org/news.htm

The Clean Clothes Campaign (CCC) aims to improve working conditions in the garment industry worldwide and empower (women) garment workers. The CCC is made up of coalitions of consumer organisations, trade unions, researchers, solidarity groups, world shops, and other organisations. The CCC informs consumers about the conditions in which their garments and sports shoes are produced, pressures brands and retailers to take responsibility for these conditions, and demands that companies accept and implement a good code of labour standards that includes monitoring and independent verification of code compliance. The Clean Clothes Campaign cooperates with organisations all over the world, especially self-organised groups of garment workers (including workers in factories of all sizes, homeworkers, and migrant workers without valid working papers).

Editors: Celia Mather, Marieke Eyskoot and Nina Ascoly