H&M Group has renewed a deal with the world’s largest trade union federation, IndustriALL Global Union, and Swedish trade union IF Metall to protect the interests of more than one million garment workers worldwide.
The global framework agreement—which covers garment workers at around 1,000 factories run by manufacturers of H&M Group products—includes a number of conventions protecting health, safety and human rights for workers. Those tenants include the right to refuse unsafe work, training for management and union representatives, ensuring direct suppliers respect human and trade union rights, and protect worker representatives from discrimination and disruption of their duties.
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“Through this agreement, we renew the commitment to realize a sustainable garment industry, where workers are organized by trade unions,” said Marie Nilsson, president, IF Metall. “Now the important part begins, ensuring that we move from policy to practice. We are excited to continue this important partnership.”
The agreement includes an updated governance structure for implementation, as well as a commitment to collaborate on due diligence in line with OECD Guidelines. The updated agreement also incorporates stronger language on preventing and prohibiting gender-based violence and harassment.
“The GFA includes significant achievements, like the inclusion of all core ILO conventions, as well as ILO Convention 190 on violence and harassment,” said Atle Hoie, general secretary, IndustriALL. “The national monitoring committees, a global steering committee, a joint industrial relations development committee, and importantly a dispute resolution mechanism that is bound by the decision of the independent mediator, provide a solid ground for functional industrial relations needed for a sustainable textile and garment industry.”
Updates to the global framework agreement also acknowledge H&M Group’s collaboration and compliance with other organizations and agreements, such as The Accord—a legally binding agreement on garment industry health and safety initiated by Bangladeshi trade unions and global union federations after the 2013 Rana Plaza factory collapse. H&M Group also engages in Bangladesh’s Employment Injury Scheme, an initiative that safeguards workers and includes comprehensive data collection in response to occupational injuries, diseases and recovery.
Bangladesh supplies a large portion of H&M Group’s product, with the country accounting for more than 1,200 entries on the company’s most recently updated supplier list. Last fall, H&M agreed to increase wages for garment workers in Bangladesh following a string of worker protests that initiated a government-mandated increase.
H&M Group first signed the global framework agreement with IndustriALL and IF Metall in 2015, and renewed it in 2016.
“Well-functioning industrial relations including collective bargaining are key to achieving good working conditions and improved wages in our supply chain,” said Daniel Ervér, CEO, H&M Group. “This contributes to a more sustainable fashion industry through functioning labor markets in the countries where we source our products from.”
