Each
of the European CCCs is a coalition of NGOs and trade unions. They work autonomously
at the national level, and come together to work jointly at the European level.
This European campaign network is backed up by a broader, international network
that includes trade unions, NGOs, and individuals in countries where garments
are produced. This means Asia, Africa, Eastern Europe, and Central America. The
CCC also cooperates with similar campaigns in the United States, Canada, and Australia.
Outside of Europe the CCC operates more as an informal network -- organizations
or individuals do not become official members or pay dues -- but all those involved
in the CCC network are committed to actively working in cooperation with other
coalition members to improve conditions in the garment and sportswear industries.
This means seeking to bring conditions up to the labor standards of the International
Labor Organization (ILO), and to also lessen the environmental impact of garment
production. Because a high percentage of workers in the garment industry are women,
the CCC strives to incorporate a gender analysis into its strategizing and approach
to campaigning. The CCC also recognizes that the current structure of the international
garment industry is largely carried out in the informal sector and that significant
use is made of migrant labor. These factors bring special challenges that the
CCC seeks to address.
The CCC has four broad categories
of activity that ultimately aim to move us closer to our main goals -- improving
working conditions in the industry and empowering workers.
These areas of
activity are:
| Raising
awareness & mobilizing consumers |
Multinational corporations
(MNCs) spend millions of dollars each year on advertising and marketing campaigns
to get consumers to buy the products they are selling. For them getting the attention
of consumers is worth this huge amount of money. Brand name companies compete
intensely for consumer loyalty, and therefore consumers can influence how these
companies operate. The CCC is a consumer campaign, and harnesses the power of
consumers to push for positive social change. We gather information and present
it to consumers in a variety of ways (educational programs, demonstrations, ads,
debates, books, rallies, internet) so that they know the truth about how clothes
are produced (low wages, long hours, repression of trade union rights, sexual
discrimination, etc.). Armed with this information we encourage consumers to pursue
a variety of ways to take action to improve conditions. Generally, the CCCs in
each European country will inform consumers about the practices of the specific
brands that dominate the market in their country.
| Pressuring
companies to take responsibility |
The campaign puts pressure
on companies to take responsibility to ensure that their products are made in
decent working conditions. We also pressure them to adopt ethical buying practices
-- for example in relation to pricing and scheduling -- otherwise their suppliers
will not be able to enforce requests to improve work place conditions. The CCC
believes that companies at the top of the garment industry supply chain have to
act upon this responsibility at all levels of their supply chains. Such supply
chains, i.e. all workers involved in producing clothes for the international market,
can span the globe and include workers wherever they are based -- from homeworkers,
to those informally employed, and those working in factories. The CCC makes demands
for structural improvements and also pressures companies to take action on individual
instances of labor rights violations. This is through our urgent appeals system.
With this system we receive, verify, disseminate, and follow up on specific requests
for assistance in cases of labor rights violations. The demands that we publicize
and pursue are those made by the workers themselves -- they take the risks (in
terms of safety and loss of jobs) therefore the CCC believes that they should
set the strategy and make the decisions about if and how their case is presented
to the brand name companies involved, the public, and the media.
The urgent appeals system is also an example of
the solidarity work that the CCC does to support workers, trade unions, and NGOs.
We also organize research and exchange programs and international seminars that
help create spaces where international strategies to improve working conditions
can be debated and developed. Both the solidarity work and the CCC's work with
consumers are supported by our function as a clearinghouse for relevant information.
| Lobbying
and legal action |
Most recently the campaign is exploring
legal possibilities for improving working conditions (that includes for example
investigating the possibilities for lawsuits against companies in their home countries
for violations of labor rights in other countries) and lobbying for legislation
that would promote good working conditions. The CCC believes that government has
an important role in ensuring that good labor standards are enforced (in many
countries where garments are produced there is good legislation, but enforcement
is lax). The CCC does not promote a link between trade agreements and labor standards
(ex. inclusion of social clauses in such agreements). The campaign is actively
lobbying for laws that would compel governments to become ethical consumers. Governments
-- at the local and national levels -- spend millions on uniforms, for example,
and the CCC believes that these should all be produced in workplaces that respect
workers rights. The CCC recognizes that states are under pressure (for example
from the World Bank and IMF) to create an atmosphere (tax breaks, repression of
union rights, low wages) that is attractive to foreign investors, but that does
not mean they should ignore their responsibilities to their people.
| The
CCC and Codes of Conduct |
Codes of conduct are lists
of labor standards. Today, many companies have written up their own codes and
they claim that these standards are enforced in the workplaces where their garments
are made. This is generally not true. Nevertheless, the CCC uses these "company
codes" to try to pressure companies to improve conditions for their workers.
We believe that if companies are breaking their own rules and the workers want
to make an issue of it, then attention should be drawn to this. In this way, the
CCC has used codes of conduct as a campaigning tool, both in relation to specific
cases of rights violations and in our general awareness-raising efforts. For example,
we inform consumers what a big brand name company says in their code (minimum
wages, safe workplace) and then what the reality is (wages below minimum, locked
fire exits). We also inform workers who are trying to organize in their factories
what the promises are that the brand name companies are actually making to the
public in countries where the clothes are sold. But a code can easily be just
a piece of paper that makes companies look good -- lots of beautiful promises
-- unless workers know about them and they are actually enforced. The best codes
are good labor laws that are enforced, but given the lack of political will in
most garment producing countries, other tools have to be pursued in the meantime,
to create a space to allow for worker organizing.
The CCC pushes companies
to have codes that are made up of ILO standards. In this way, the promises made
are not vague, but are written out in clear language that has been discussed internationally.
The CCC also pressures companies to have a code that requires full implementation
of the standards listed, and requirements for regularly monitoring code compliance.
The CCC also believe that claims about code compliance must be independently verified.
The CCC has developed a model code as a guideline and is currently involved in
several projects to get a better understanding of what would actually constitute
a good monitoring and verification system. More information on these initiatives
and what has been learned so far is available via the Internet at <www.somo.nl/monitoring>
or from the CCC International Secretariat. A CCC priority is to push for worker
involvement in code development and systems for code compliance. Though codes
are voluntary initiatives, if they call for the implementation of good standards
and create inclusive methods to allow for worker empowerment (ex. systems for
workers to file complaints or get training) then we think this tool should be
used.
| CCC
Resources Available to the Public |
The CCC produces
and/or distributes a wide variety of materials in a variety of languages. These
resources have different goals -- for example some are geared specifically toward
raising awareness among children, sports fans, or workers. CCC materials include:
The
CCC International Secretariat maintains a website (in English) where many of these
materials are posted. We encourage those who are interested in learning more about
the CCC or working conditions in the garment industry to take a look at our website
<www.cleanclothes.org>. Contact the secretariat (e-mail: info@cleanclothes.org)
to order any materials.
| How
to become involved in the CCC network |
Participants
in the CCC network include trade unions, human rights organizations, consumer
organizations, researchers, academics, solidarity organizations, youth groups,
women's organizations, homeworkers' organizations, migrant worker organizations
and many others. Interested individuals or organizations are encouraged to become
involved in the CCC. There are a variety of possibilities.
Contact the CCC
to:
The
Clean Clothes Campaign
