The grand coalition of almost 30 companies who have signed up includes many leading brands but IndustriALL Global Union and UNI Global Union are pushing for notable absentees such as Gap and Walmart to do the right thing before the midnight (CEST) deadline.

The Accord now covers more than 1,000 supplier factories and a large proportion of the 4 million Bangladeshi garment workforce. These companies have already confirmed their commitment to the Accord:

H&M, Inditex, C&A, PVH, Tchibo, Tesco, Marks & Spencer, Primark, El Corte Inglés, Mango, Carrefour, KiK, Helly Hansen, G-Star, Aldi South, Aldi North, New Look, Mothercare, Loblaws, Sainsbury’s, Benetton, N Brown Group, and Stockmann.

The UNI Management Committee, meeting in Nyon this week, has released this video to convince companies they must join the Accord.

UNI Global Union General Secretary, Philip Jennings said, “We congratulate the companies who have signed up and have shown they are prepared to work together to stop the exploitation of Bangladeshi garment workers. To Walmart we say shame on you for acting as the pirates of the supply chain. Walmart is offering an alternative, meaningless solution without safeguards or implementation plan. Gap must break away from the Walmart mentality and show it’s prepared to join the Accord which is a legally binding game changer. We’re talking about 4 million people earning 38 dollars a month in dangerous conditions. We must not miss this opportunity to end this exploitation.”

IndustriALL Global Union General Secretary, Jyrki Raina said, “13 May was an important day in the fight for justice for the 1,127 Rana Plaza victims and hundreds of other garment workers injured and killed in Bangladesh, as industry-leading clothing brands retailers committed to work with us, to stay in the country and get rid of their unsustainable business model of extreme exploitation. A bloody t-shirt is not much cheaper than a clean one."

In acceding to the binding program of fire safety reforms based on independent inspections, worker-led health and safety committees and union access to factories, signatories commit to underwrite improvements in dangerous factories and properly confront fire safety and structural problems. Importantly the Accord grants workers the right to refuse dangerous work, in line with ILO Convention 155.

Read Accord in Related Files tab

Follow the Countdown Clock to Midnight (CEST) May 15 deadline on Twitter #bangladesh @uniglobalunion @PJenningsUNI and UNI Website & Facebook

Contacts
Tom Grinter, IndustriALL, Mobile: +41 79 79 693 44 99, TGrinter@industriALL-Union.org
Richard Elliott, UNI Global Union, Mobile: +41 79 794 9709, richard.elliott@uniglobalunion.org

Endorsed by

International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC)
Clean Clothes Campaign
Workers Rights Consortium (WRC)
International Labor Rights Forum
Maquila Solidarity Network
SumOfUs.org
Avaaz
United Students Against Sweatshops
War on Want
Credoaction
Causes
Defend Jobs
Home Based Women Workers Federation (HBWWF)
Global Monitor
People Tree
Pakistan Institute of Labour Education and Research (PILER)