To avoid a tragedy like the collapse of the Rana Plaza textile factory in Bangladesh (which claimed 1,100 victims in April 2013) from happening again, binding European rules are needed to make the industry more responsible, MEPs from the European Parliament's development committee said in Brussels on Tuesday 21 March.
They thus called on the European Commission to propose rules, at EU level, to force all actors in the textile and garment supply chain to respect labour law and the human rights of their workers.
This call was launched in Brussels on Tuesday 21 March in a draft non-binding resolution adopted by 14 votes (to 2 against with 8 abstentions). The recommendations it makes aim to encourage the Commission to put forward swift proposals, given that the Sustainability Pact negotiated by the EU, Canada, the USA and ILO, in collaboration with Bangladesh, is slow in coming (see EUROPE 11538).
"The EU has the means to set common rules that establish mandatory human rights obligations on partner countries and we are asking the Commission to do so (...) The EU needs new rules to ensure that hard-working people who produce our clothes are treated with dignity and respect worldwide”, said rapporteur Lola Sánchez Caldentey (GUE/NGL, Spain).
The development committee MEPs particularly advocate a legislative proposal imposing a due diligence system that covers the whole supply chain, with special attention to women’s and children’s rights. They believe the EU should ensure that textile exporting third countries which have preferential access to the EU market comply with obligations, and they say the Commission should offer tariff relief for proven sustainably-produced textiles. They also recommend clothing labels making the “social impact of production” visible on clothes. In addition, the MEPs encourage EU Member States to promote the right to association and collective bargaining and an obligation to investigate accidents properly in their trade relations with developing countries.
The Parliament will vote on this issue in April. (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)