Herausgeber_in(nen): International Labour Office; Global Labour University; Working Paper No. 47

Autor_innen: Tandiwe Gross, Amar Kharate

Schlagwörter: Arbeitsrechtsverletzungen, Asien, Frauenrechte, Gewerkschaft, Indien, Lohn, Protest

Kurzbeschreibung:

Dharaviin the heart of Mumbai is home to an estimated 1 million people and of the biggest slum economies in the world. With 86% of India’s total workforce working in the informal sector, this papers sheds light on the working and living conditions of a section of this invisible workforce as well as their collective struggles and organizing strategies for a more decent life.

The empirical findings suggest that despite massive barriers to organizing, informal garment workers develop innovative strategies to gain victories both vis-à-vis employers and the state by organizing collectively. The entry point are workers’ identities as women and citizens and their struggles around domestic violence, harassment housing and public services.

For many workers the trade union membership card gains importance as the first written proof of identity and the support of the collective serves as a protection against violence at home and in the community. In the absence of legal protection, this paper finds that trade union organizing is indispensable for combating rights violations and building bargaining power for increasing income.It also shows tha social protection schemes, where they cover informal garment workers, are only effective if workers organize collectively and pressure the state for effective access.

The paper shows how trade unions as collective organizations of informal economy workers can be key agents to support the effective delivery of state services and contribute to the transitioning of workers from informal to more protected employment. 

Erscheinungsjahr: 2017

Umfang: 52 Seiten

Sprache: Englisch

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Herausgeber_in: International Labour Organization, International Labour Office, Sectoral Policies Department (SECTOR), Geneva

Autor_innen: Sabine de Bruijn, Iskandar Kholov, Ina Koch, Bianca Perina

Schlagwörter: Arbeitsrechtsverletzungen, CSR, Gewerkschaft, Lieferkette, Unternehmensverantwortung

Kurzbeschreibung:

With a focus on three recent IFAs in three economic sectors, the present working paper is a contribution to the growing body of knowledge on international framework agreements. It complements existing and ongoing research on national and cross-border social dialogue and international framework agreements by other international and regional organizations and by the ILO itself, including but not limited to research conducted for the report for the recurrent discussion on social dialogue at the International Labour Conference in 2018 and the report for the Meeting of Experts on cross-border social dialogue that is scheduled to take place in the second half of 2018. This working paper thus forms part of the ILO programme of action (2017-21) and the companion roadmap that the Governing Body agreed on in March 2017 in follow-up to the International Labour Conference’s Conclusions on decent work in global supply chains.

Erscheinungsjahr: 2018

Umfang: 86 Seiten

Sprache: Englisch

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Herausgeber_in: SÜDWIND e.V.

Autor_in: Dr. Sabine Ferenschild

Redaktion: Kathrin Hegger, Vera Schumacher

Schlagwörter: Asien, Existenzlohn, Gewerkschaft, Indonesien, Lohn

Kurzbeschreibung: Existenzsichernde Löhne sind ein zentrales Element menschenwürdiger Arbeit. In den Ländern des Globalen Südens allerdings kann ein großer Teil der Beschäftigten vom hart erarbeiteten Lohn nicht menschenwürdig leben. Dies gilt auch für die Beschäftigten der Textil- und Bekleidungsindustrie, die zwar in der Regel auf dem Niveau staatlicher Mindestlöhne entlohnt werden. Diese Mindestlöhne reichen aber meist nur dann zum Überleben, wenn sie durch zahllose Überstunden aufgestockt oder durch ein zweites Einkommen in der Familie ergänzt werden. Am Beispiel von Indonesien, einer der zehn größten Exportnationen für Bekleidung weltweit, wird SÜDWIND in mehreren Fact Sheets und einer Studie der Frage nachgehen, welche Wege dort von eben diesen Mindestlöhnen zu existenzsichernden Löhnen führen können. In diesem Fact Sheet blicken wir auf das Recht auf Vereinigungsfreiheit und Kollektivverhandlungen, das eine entscheidende Voraussetzung für die Durchsetzung existenzsichernder Löhne ist.

Erscheinungsjahr: 2018

Umfang: 6 Seiten

Sprache: Deutsch

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Herausgeber_in: Fair Wear Foundation

Kurzbeschreibung:

The garment industry is Turkey’s second largest industry, responsible for a large proportion of total export, with the European Union (EU) as the biggest purchaser. Although the industry is familiar with international workplace standards as well as the audits of international buyers, improvements are still needed in many aspects of its labour conditions. Small and medium-sized factories with a wide sub-contractor chain dominate the industry, with the working conditions deteriorating throughout the supply chain.

This country study examines the situation in Turkey in 2017, using statistics from that year and previous years. Where relevant, current information from 2018 has been included.

Erscheinungsjahr: 2018

Umfang: 56 Seiten

Sprache: Englisch

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Herausgeber_in: Fair Wear Foundation

Kurzbeschreibung:

The garment industry is a significant contributor to Indonesia’s large economy. In fact, it was the fifth greatest contributor to Indonesia’s non-oil and gas manufacturing export figures from 2014 to 2017, growing at an average of 1.1 % during that period. It is also an important source of employment, accounting for around 26.6 % of jobs in the manufacturing sector. The industry is affected by changes to economic conditions in the US and Europe, the major destinations for its products. It also faces the challenge of competing with other garment-producing countries such as Vietnam and Bangladesh, with costs including labour, affecting competitiveness.

Another challenge for the garment industry lies in meeting international expectations about the treatment of workers. Conditions in garment factories vary considerably. They are generally much worse in medium and small enterprises, which do not attract the kinds of scrutiny that large suppliers to international brands are subjected to. The industry has received a great deal of attention from international and local NGOs and trade unions, but there remains much to be done before the standards embedded in FWF Code of Labour Practice are fully met even in more compliant segments of the sector. In terms of labour rights, Indonesia has signed key international human rights instruments, including the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) and all eight core International Labour Organization (ILO) conventions. However, the extent to which these commitments are reflected in Indonesian legislation and in its implementation, varies. Like many countries in the region, it also continues to experience serious problems in terms of the implementation of many aspects of its legal framework. This core problem has led to issues with freedom of association and the right to bargain collectively; working hours and conditions, including the right of women to be free of sexual harassment in the workplace; occupational health and safety; and the right to a living wage. FWF will continue to provide updated information on Indonesia at www.fairwear.org and will update this country study on a periodic basis in the future.

Erscheinungsjahr: 2018

Umfang: 70 Seiten

Sprache: Englisch

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Herausgeber_in: Clean Clothes Campaign

Schlagwörter: Bangladesch, EU Politik, Gewerkschaft, Gewerkschaften, Gewerkschaftsunterdrückung, Gewerkschaftsfreiheit, Handel, Lohnerhöhung, Lohn, Mindestlohn,

Kurzbeschreibung:

This paper sums up the situation in Bangladesh since the wage strike of December 2016 and the crackdown on labour that follows and makes the case for the need of a trade investigation by the European Union.

Erscheinungsjahr: 2018

Umfang: 8 Seiten

Sprache: Englisch

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Herausgeber_in: Fair Wear Foundation

Schlagwörter: Arbeitsbedingungen, Arbeitszeiten, existenzsichernde Löhne, Gewerkschaft, Gewerkschaften, Gewerkschaftsfreiheit, Vietnam

Kurzbeschreibung:

The Vietnamese garment industry is the country’s second largest exporting industry, following electronics, and accounts for 15 percent of the country’s GDP and 20.77 percent of its total exports in 2014. The U.S is the biggest market for garments from Vietnam, while Japan and the EU come second and third, respectively. According to the International Labour Organisation’s (ILO) Convention 87 on Freedom of Association and ILO Convention 98 on Protection of the Right to Organise, Vietnam has not ratified worker’s rights. Freedom of association remains the most challenging problem for Vietnam. Workers are not allowed to establish independent trade unions of their choice, as all enterprise unions must be affiliated to the Vietnam General Confederation of Labour, the only recognised union in the country. At the grassroots level, it is common to find enterprise union leadership dominated by high-ranking managers and collective bargaining agreements that are copied from the labour legislation.

The second biggest challenge in the Vietnamese textile industry is excessive overtime. The current annual overtime limit for garment industry is 200 hours (which can be extended to 300 hours in special cases) or 30 hours per month, but a large number of garment factories violated this legal limit. The 2015 minimum wage that is used by garment companies as the basic salary is estimated to meet 75 percent of the minimum living needs. The garment association and the national garment trade union have a sector Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) that covers around 100 companies, mainly state-owned enterprises. However, according to the Vietnam General Confederation of Labour (VGCL), at least 60 percent of registered CBAs in Vietnam were just copies of the law. The lowest wages provided by the CBA are only slightly higher than the minimum wages.

Erscheinungsjahr: 2015

Umfang: 45 Seiten

Sprache: Englisch

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Herausgeber_in: Research Center for Employment Relations

Autor_in: Do Quynh Chi

Schlagwörter: Arbeitsbedingungen, existenzsichernde Löhne, Frauen in der Bekleidungsindustrie, Gewalt, Gewerkschaft, Gewerkschaften, Gewerkschaftsfreiheit, sexuelle Belästigung, Vietnam

Kurzbeschreibung:

Garment and textile is the second biggest exporting industry in Vietnam, after electronics, accounting for 15 percent of the country’s GDP and 14 percent of its total exports in 2015. The United States is the biggest market for garments from

Vietnam while Japan and the European Union EU come second and third respectively

With the Party-controlled VGCL remaining the only recognised union organisation, freedom of association has been the most challenging area in terms of labour rights for Vietnam. The enterprise unions are mostly dependent on management and incapable of independently representing workers in negotiations with employers. Social dialogue at the workplace is encouraged by the law but due to the unions’ weakness, has not been effectively practised. The Labour Code of Vietnam provides that the minimum wage should cover the basic living expenses of a worker and his/her family, but the current minimum wage is still lagging behind the minimum living needs. However, the National Wage Council, a tripartite institute, has become more active in MW negotiations, taking into account minimum living needs as well as economic and productivity growth.

Gender-based violence at the workplace has rarely been reported and grievances are few. However, related research shows that gender-based violence is an extensive problem in a society like Vietnam.

Erscheinungsjahr: 2016

Umfang: 50 Seiten

Sprache: Englisch

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Herausgeber_in: Internationaler Gewerkschaftsbund

Schlagwörter: Arbeitnehmer/innenrechte, Arbeitnehmerrechte, Arbeitnehmervertretungen, Gewerkschaften, Gewerkschaftsfreiheit, Gewerkschaftsunterdrückung, Tarifverhandlungen, Vereinigungsfreiheit

Kurzbeschreibung:

Der Index dokumentiert Verletzungen international anerkannter kollektiver Arbeitnehmerrechte durch Regierungen und Arbeitgeber. Seit einigen Jahren enthält dieser "Global Rights Index" auch eine Liste der zehn "schlimmsten Länder für erwerbstätige Menschen". Die Zahl der Länder, in denen Arbeitnehmerinnen und Arbeitnehmer Drohungen und Gewalt ausgesetzt sind, hat sich erneut innerhalb eines Jahres deutlich erhöht. Bereits von 2016 auf 2017 war die Zahl dieser Länder um zehn Prozent gestiegen. Von 2017 auf 2018 stieg sie erneut von 59 Ländern auf 65 Länder an, also innerhalb eines Jahres erneut um mehr als 10 Prozent. Aus dem Globalen Rechtsindex 2018 gehen Beschränkungen der Redefreiheit und von Protesten sowie zunehmend gewaltsame Angriffe auf diejenigen hervor, die für die Arbeitnehmerrechte eintreten. Menschenwürdige Arbeit und demokratische Rechte wurden in nahezu allen Ländern untergraben, während die Ungleichheit weiter wuchs.

Erscheinungsjahr: 2018

Umfang: 56 Seiten

Sprache: Deutsch

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Herausgeber_in: Center for Workers’ Rights

Autor_in: Mark Anner

Schlagwörter: mangelnde Arbeitssicherheit, Arbeitsplatzsicherheit, Bangladesch, CSR, Gewerkschaft, Gewerkschaftsfreiheit, Sicherheitsbedingungen, Sicherheitsstandards, Sozialstandards, Fabrikunglück, Rana Plaza, Unternehmensverantwortung, Verantwortung von Regierungen und des öffentlichen Sektors

Kurzbeschreibung:

Despite more than two decades of private voluntary approaches to address workers’ rights abuses in apparel supply chains, workers in the lower production tiers continue to face poor working conditions and chronic violations of their rights. Bangladesh has been emblematic of low wages, poor working conditions, union-avoidance, and a series of mass fatality disasters in garment factories, culminating in the collapse of Rana Plaza in 2013. With the five-year anniversary of the catastrophe approaching, the question arises as to whether the intervening years have seen meaningful gains for workers.

This report finds that gains have been severely limited in regard to wages, overtime hours, and work intensity in part due to the sourcing practices of the brands and retailers that sit at the top of global supply chains. A partial exception is in the area of associational rights, where, in the aftermath of Rana Plaza, pressure from the European Union, the United States, and international organizations resulted in minor pro-union labor reforms. These reforms, combined with the tenacity of workers and their organizing efforts, resulted in an increase in the number of recognized unions. However, in recent years, union growth has once again stagnated, indicating the need for continued international pressure and for an expansion of the capacity of garment sector unions. This report finds one area where gains for workers have been dramatic: building safety. This is largely the result of an unprecedented binding agreement, the Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh. The Accord, which imposes constraints and obligations on global firms that are absent from traditional voluntary CSR schemes, has overseen a massive program of safety renovations and upgrades.

Erscheinungsjahr: 2018

Umfang: 18 Seiten

Sprache: Englisch

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