Though OHS in Bangladesh improved, wages did not (NGWF)

 Ms. Sufia is 27 years old and works as a sewing Operator at Jamuna Apparels in Dhaka since 2014. Over the four years she worked with honesty and dedication. In July 2018, her Manager threatened and insulted her, and forced her to sign a blank sheet of paper. She was dismissed without respecting the legal procedure. Ms. Sufia was devastated and at a loss as to how to continue providing for her family. As she was a member of NGWF, she asked help to get her job back or at least compensation. NGWF sent a legal notice to the factory management which didn’t receive any reply. NGWF filed with Ms. Sufia a case at the Labour Court and end of September 2018, a settlement was reached which entitled Sufia to several benefits, including for her termination, amounting to a total amount of around 1.000€. She used this to buy a cow and her husband opened a tea shop, providing her family with alternative income.

Though the health and safety aspects have improved in Bangladesh, the general working conditions haven’t improved, on the contrary. After five years, the minimum wage for garment workers was increased from 45€ to 70€, way below the requested 150€ and largely insufficient because it doesn’t even cover inflation and lower than neighboring countries like China with 150€. Hence, the National Garment Workers Federation (NGWF) keeps organizing: membership went up with 21%, 74 new unions were registered at factory level in recent years and NGWF managed to obtain over 150.000€ for garment workers through arbitration. No meagre task as NGWF thus accounts for over 60% of the total compensations paid.

ILO Regional Seminar on Strengthening Governance in EPZs/ GSCs through promoting GFA and other instruments, 29-31 May 2017, Jakarta – Indonesia

The ILO Bureau for Workers' Activities organized a Regional Seminar on Strengthening Governance in Export Processing Zones/ Global Supply Chain through promoting Global Framework Agreements and other instruments, from 29-31 May 2017 in Jakarta, Indonesia. The Seminar is a follow up to the Resolution and Conclusions of the 105th Session of the ILC on Decent Work in Global Supply Chain, as well as to the Bali Declaration of the APRM. The Seminar will provide input for the ILO Governing Body Decision in November 2017 to follow up the Resolution concerning the ILO Program of Action 2017-2021 on Decent Work in Global Supply Chains, especially to identify possible actions to promote decent work and protection of fundamental principles and rights at work for workers in export processing zones (EPZs) through organizing and collective Bargaining.   According to the ILO, the number of people employed in global supply chain (GSC) related jobs increased over the past decade from 296 million in 1995 to 453 million in 2013 in 40 advanced and emerging economies.

The 105th International Labour Conference gets underway

The 105th International Labour Conference gets underway in Geneva, Switzerland from 30 May to 10 June. This year's session brings together over 4,000 delegates from around the globe to discuss the most pressing issues facing the world of work today. Youth employment, global supply chains and decent work in fragile states will all be high on the agenda.


On behalf of WSM, Bart Verstraeten will attend among others. Together with Bart Vannetelbosch (Central Supply and Services) and several of our partners we are going to the Commission to examine how to ensure decent work in global supply chains. We all know the challenges of the supply chain: the workers in the textile sector who receive poor wages or lose their jobs when they are pregnant; workers in the free trade zones that can not organize or become members of trade unions; miners without contracts, without social protection.

This commission has the mandate to conduct a general debate, that is to say:
- To gather the views of the ILO tripartite stakeholders;
- Determine a new mandate for the ILO in this area.

Fortunately, we had the opportunity to prepare with our partners in the international seminar organized by KSBSI and ACV-CSC in Jakarta in late April. At the end of our seminar, we adopted a final document which comprises our claims (here). Some of these claims will be the basis of our advocacy in the coming days.

And when we say "our" advocacy, we refer to our great delegation. With ACV-CSC colleagues, IYCW, WSM, CCC, KSBSI, CLTM Indonesia and Mauritania, and other colleagues and partners who are coming, hopefully we can influence discussions.