The session on workers’ and consumers’ rights in the apparel industry was requested of the Permanent Peoples’ Tribunal (PPT) by the Clean Clothes Campaign, and was held in Brussels from April 30 to May 5, 1998. The Campaign documented and presented to the Tribunal cases regarding employment conditions in the textile and sports footwear sector, and requested a legal definition of the liability of multinational corporations regarding the operations of subsidiaries, suppliers, and subcontractors. Among the demands put forward was also the assessment of consumers’ right to accurate information regarding the social standards adopted during the production phases.
In its Judgment, the Tribunal recognized the weakening of nation-states and the growing concentration of power in the hands of transnational corporations as factors conditioning the context of workers’ and consumers’ rights in the apparel and sporting goods industry, with serious implications for the future of human rights. It highlighted widespread violations of workers’ rights in this sector, particularly regarding freedom of association, collective bargaining, equal pay for work of equal value, a living wage, respectful treatment, and a healthy and safe work environment.
The Tribunal also pointed out exploitation, workplace discrimination, and the absence of effective measures to prevent sexual violence against women—who make up 80% of the workforce in the garment industry—as well as the use of child labor.
Among its recommendations, the Tribunal encouraged consumers and human rights movements to take legal action against companies operating in the apparel sector and to use other forms of pressure to compel them to stop exploiting the workers who produce the goods they trade.
Requesting Organisations: Clean Clothes Campaing
Documentation: