Jump to main content
IndustriALL logotype

Building union power in the textile and garment industry

18 January, 2023Unions all over the world struggle to defend workers’ rights amid employer opposition and complicated global supply chains. To support unions in organizing and bargaining, IndustriALL is launching a handbook for strategic corporate research and campaigning for unions in the textile and garment industry.

Buiding union power

Handbook on strategic corporate research and campaigning

ENGLISHESPAÑOLPORTUGUÊSARABIC
KHMERBANGLABAHASAVIETNAMESE
    
    

The textile and garment industry is highly globalized with millions of workers along the supply chains worldwide. The industry is a large source of precarious employment in the developing world, with the sector predominantly composed of low paid workers who are mostly young women and internal migrants working on short-term contracts.

The industry operates mainly through a buyer-driven supply chain where the sourcing brands and buying agencies hold power over their suppliers, who are the direct employers of the workers, making it difficult to track the complex supply chains.

Strategic corporate research can help unions in developing comprehensive strategic campaigns on both organizing and collective bargaining.

“The handbook provides our affiliates with a clear understanding of strategic corporate research and how it can be applied on apparel manufacturers, brands, retailers and buying houses. It also provides useful insights on how to develop strategic campaigns on union organizing and on how to remedy unfair labour practices in the global supply chain,”

says Christina Hajagos-Clausen, IndustriALL textile director.

The handbook is available in English, as well as the languages of the major readymade garment producing countries’ languages, like Arabic, Bangla, Bahasa, Khmer, Portuguese, Spanish and Vietnamese.