Textile and garment unions in Asia-Pacific advance Just Transition agenda21 May, 2025On 15-16 May, affiliates from the Asia-Pacific textile, garment, shoe and leather (TGSL) sector met in Hanoi, Vietnam, for a regional workshop on Just Transition. Organized by IndustriALL Global Union and Japanese affiliate UA Zensen, and hosted by the Vietnam General Confederation of Labour (VGCL), the event brought together more than 40 trade leaders to exchange experiences and strengthen solidarity within the sector.
Binding agreements are key to progress20 February, 2025IndustriALL’s delegation at the 2025 OECD Forum on Due Diligence in the Garment and Footwear Sector in Paris earlier this month underscored the growing consensus that voluntary commitments are failing workers; legally binding agreements are the way forward. Trade unions at the forum, brand representatives and other stakeholders discussed the pressing need for accountability, mandatory due diligence and the role of collective action in ensuring responsible business practices.
India: garment workers defy illegal closure17 June, 2025On 9 June, Celebrity Fashions Limited (CFL), a garment manufacturing company in India, illegally shut down its factory in Avadi, Tamil Nadu, unlawfully terminating 560 workers overnight. After several rounds of negotiations, managements and workers have reached an agreement, but the struggle for closure compensation continues.
Digel workers in Türkiye fight union busting17 June, 2025For more than 150 days, workers sacked from Digel, a German menswear company operating in the Aegean Free Zone in Gaziemir, Izmir, have picketed against union busting.
Workers continue to fight after Next’s Sri Lanka factory closure15 July, 2025In May, more than 1,400 workers were reportedly dismissed via a WhatsApp message when UK retailer Next closed its wholly owned factory in Sri Lanka without proper notice. Two months on, the affected workers and their union remain determined to challenge what they call an unlawful and irresponsible closure. Those who refused to sign resignation letters are now unemployed while their case is heard by the Department of Labour’s Employment Unit. Many face severe hardship during Sri Lanka’s economic crisis, with some skipping meals daily.
Social dialogue is key to revitalizing Tunisia’s textile, clothing and leather sector27 May, 2025Under the banner “Social dialogue: a cornerstone for promoting the textile, clothing and leather industry”, union and employer representatives in Tunisia’s garment sector came together to discuss joint solutions for the future of the industry.
How Next abandons its workers24 June, 2025Next is proving not to live up to its fundamental promises when it comes to workers’ rights. From refusing to sign a landmark agreement to improve wages in Cambodia, to abandoning Sri Lankan workers by text and continuing business in Myanmar despite documented risks of grave human rights abuses under the military junta, Next consistently puts profit over people. Even its UK retail staff are denied a living wage, dismissed as “not breadwinners” by the company’s CEO.
