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2 October, 2025Since 2015, the global framework agreement with H&M has provided a platform for joint work to safeguard the right to unionize and engage in collective bargaining – improving conditions for workers in the factories that form part of the company’s supply chain.
As part of the tenth-anniversary celebrations, union representatives from Bangladesh, Türkiye, Cambodia and Indonesia met in Stockholm to share experiences. All agreed that the agreement has been instrumental in improving conditions for workers in their countries.
“The global framework agreement has given us a solid basis for organizing and bargaining. It has created an ongoing social dialogue with employers, enabling us to negotiate for key rights such as parental leave and to tackle issues like workplace harassment together,”
says Nazma Akter, president of the Sommilito Garments Sramik Federation in Bangladesh.
Fulya Pinar Özcan, head of international relations at the Turkish textile workers’ union Öz İplik İş, echoed those sentiments:
“Global framework agreements are crucial for us because they link our local work to global accountability. Through these agreements we can ensure that international brands take responsibility for safeguarding workers’ rights in their Turkish supply chains. For our union, they provide a powerful tool to strengthen freedom of association, collective bargaining and protection against abuses such as union-busting. Above all, they give our members a voice that carries far beyond their own factory.”
Eko Purwantoro of Indonesia’s SPN union also highlighted how the agreement secures fundamental human and trade-union rights:
“The global framework agreement delivers tangible benefits for workers by safeguarding fundamental rights, improving working conditions, opening direct channels of social dialogue with global management, preventing union-busting and strengthening our union power through international solidarity.”
During the ten years of the agreement, both union representatives and company managements have received training on workers’ rights, building constructive relations between parties, negotiation skills and conflict resolution.
"This GFA has been transformative. It gives unions a formal seat at the table and a direct line to decision-makers at one of the world’s biggest brands. That means real progress on wages, safety and dignity at work. It also strengthens our ability to organize, bargain collectively and defend workers against intimidation, showing that international solidarity can deliver concrete improvements on the factory floor,"
says Christina Hajagos-Clausen, IndustriALL textile and garment director.