4 October, 2012The Global Framework Agreement (GFA) between Inditex and IndustriALL Global Union continues to ensure the protection and respect of fundamental rights at work throughout the supply chain of the company.
The GFA was signed by one of IndustriALL’s founder organizations, ITGLWF, in 2007 with the coverage of all workers employed throughout the company’s supply chain.
Earlier this year, the agreement was reinforced through an addendum defining implementation and monitoring through union involvement. The addendum guarantees the global union and its affiliated unions access to all Inditex information on suppliers’ workplaces, including the annual update of company information on its production chain.
One of IndustriALL’s Turkish affiliates, TEKSIF - Textile, Knitting and Garment Workers’ Union, has been for a while developing organizing efforts in several suppliers of Inditex, and facing some problems. As the cases became urgent, IndustriALL and Teksif called a meeting with Inditex management, which was held on 28 September in Istanbul.
Attended by top officials from IndustriALL, TEKSIF and Inditex, the meeting examined the details of the particular cases and agreed on follow-up activities to ensure freedom of association and the right to collective bargain is observed. The participants also discussed developing an efficient dialogue at the local level between union representatives and the company’s local office.
The meeting affirmed the importance and significance of the GFA and its practical steps for implementation. To this end, Inditex and IndustriALL Global Union will develop a joint training project aimed at both workers and their unions in the production chain as well as managers of the same companies.
Kemal Özkan, Assistant General Secretary of IndustriALL Global Union said:
We consider our global agreement with Inditex very important and valuable. We want to make it a good functioning model of industrial relations for the rest of the sector. This exemplary dialogue with Inditex will be developed through concrete joint activities such as those taking place in Turkey.
Inditex uses some 5,000 suppliers in 40 countries employing about 700,000 workers throughout the world. The company’s major brands are Zara, Bershka, Pull & Bear, Massimo Duti, Stradivarius, Oysho, Uterque and Zara Home.