Interviews
Join hands for living wages in Cambodia: Tchibo
23 Apr '19
2 min read
Pic: Action, Collaboration and Transformation
Nanda Bergstein, director for corporate responsibility at German clothing chain Tchibo, recently urged other apparel brands to come forward to help Cambodia and other countries achieve a living wage for garment workers and commit to the Action, Collaboration and Transformation (ACT) foundation, which aims for a sustainable industry based on living wages.
Bergstein’s call came at a high-level dialogue on living wages in Cambodia with German Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development Joschka Fischer in the first week of April.
She especially called upon the members of the German Partnership for Sustainable Textiles, according to an ACT statement.
ACT is a non-profit foundation jointly created by global brands and retailers in the garment, textile and footwear sector and IndustriALL Global Union, the global trade union federation representing garment and textile workers.
Since it was founded in 2016, 21 brands signed the memorandum of understanding on establishing within global supply chains freedom of association, collective bargaining and living wages.
“It is estimated that over 60% of garment workers in Cambodia suffer from lack of nutrition. ACT wants to change that. But we cannot do it alone,” Bergstein said.
Trade unions and employer representatives in Cambodia have started a process of negotiating a collective bargaining agreement at industry level. Once a collective agreement is signed which increases wages and guarantees freedom of association, Cambodia will benefit from the country support commitments by all ACT member brands, the statement said.
Members of ACT are IndustriALL and Arcadia, ASOS, Bestseller, C&A, Cotton On, Debenhams, Esprit, H&M, Inditex, Kmart, N Brown Group Plc, New Look, Next, Pentland, Primark, PVH, Target, Tchibo, Tesco, and zLabels.
Currently close to half of exporting garment and footwear factories in Cambodia produce for ACT member brands. (DS)
Bergstein’s call came at a high-level dialogue on living wages in Cambodia with German Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development Joschka Fischer in the first week of April.
She especially called upon the members of the German Partnership for Sustainable Textiles, according to an ACT statement.
ACT is a non-profit foundation jointly created by global brands and retailers in the garment, textile and footwear sector and IndustriALL Global Union, the global trade union federation representing garment and textile workers.
Since it was founded in 2016, 21 brands signed the memorandum of understanding on establishing within global supply chains freedom of association, collective bargaining and living wages.
“It is estimated that over 60% of garment workers in Cambodia suffer from lack of nutrition. ACT wants to change that. But we cannot do it alone,” Bergstein said.
Trade unions and employer representatives in Cambodia have started a process of negotiating a collective bargaining agreement at industry level. Once a collective agreement is signed which increases wages and guarantees freedom of association, Cambodia will benefit from the country support commitments by all ACT member brands, the statement said.
Members of ACT are IndustriALL and Arcadia, ASOS, Bestseller, C&A, Cotton On, Debenhams, Esprit, H&M, Inditex, Kmart, N Brown Group Plc, New Look, Next, Pentland, Primark, PVH, Target, Tchibo, Tesco, and zLabels.
Currently close to half of exporting garment and footwear factories in Cambodia produce for ACT member brands. (DS)
Fibre2Fashion News Desk – India
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