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More than a million people have already signed an Avaaz petition calling on Gap to stop stonewalling and back the global Bangladesh Fire and Safety Accord. The company has been inundated with calls from thousands of angry customers who say they expect better from Gap. Many have said they won't buy Gap clothes until they sign the deal.



GAP CEO Glenn Murphy delivered an inconsistent and unconvincing performance to shareholders at GAP’s Annual General Meeting in San Francisco yesterday , repeatedly describing the global accord on Bangladesh factory safety as a European deal when in fact 40 multinationals, with a presence in 100 countries, have already agreed to back the deal. Contradicting himself, Murphy also said GAP is 90% in agreement with the accord and did not rule out signing up and that the only stumbling block was “unlimited legal liability.” This global supply chain accord which already has U.S. companies on board is being driven by two global unions, IndustriALL and UNI Global Union and their NGO partners.

 

UNI Global Union’s General Secretary, Philip Jennings said, “Mr Murphy your opposition to the accord is not credible. You talk about GAP being a leader in corporate social responsibility, a leader in the community committed to improving factory safety in Bangladesh and elsewhere. Where’s the proof if you do not sign the accord? Please do not mislead your shareholders and shoppers: this is a global accord, a game-changer which will create a new world of ethical retail. GAP’s investors and consumers should be part of it.”

 

UNI’s Deputy General Secretary, Christy Hoffman addressing the issue of liability and GAP, said, “We have given GAP every assurance that this accord does not expose them to any litigation in the US courts, apart from the possible enforcement of an arbitration award, which is a seldom used but important assurance that arbitration awards will be respected. While they claim US exceptionalism,  GAP stands in the same shoes as any other signatory.  There is no right to third party litigation.  There are no class actions, or punitive damages or fines made possible by this Accord. We have discussed these issues at length and my only conclusion is that GAP does not want to take the financial responsibility to ensure that its workplaces are safe. We hope that GAP will change course and decide to join up with other responsible retailers- from all over the world- to work together for safe factories in Bangladesh.”  

 

GAP HQ has received phone calls, messages on its Facebook and twitter account, from the public urging the company to do the right thing and sign the accord in the wake of the recent factory tragedies in Bangladesh.







See text of Accord by clicking on Related Files tab.