Inditex and IndustriALL strengthen alliance to protect garment workers

Inditex, owners of brands like Zara and Bershka, has reinforced its ties to IndustriALL and demonstrated its dedication to enhancing working conditions in the textile supply chain with the signing of a new protocol.

The Global Framework Agreement between Inditex and IndustriALL has improved working conditions for nearly 3 million employees worldwide over the last 15 years. The agreement, which was a world first, continues to serve as a model for the defense of respectable employment in global supply networks.

A new protocol was established to strengthen the Global Union Committee and its coordinating bodies in honor of the 15th anniversary by Oscar Garca Maceiras, CEO of Inditex, and Atle Hie, General Secretary of IndustriALL Global Union. This protocol specifically established new mechanisms for securing the role of the local unions for a better understanding of what the workers producing the clothes need.

The new protocol requires Inditex and IndustriALL to create a joint work plan with a focus on maintaining the right to freedom of association, the right to collective bargaining, and the provision of training to worker representatives, the suppliers to the textile group, and the factory workers who are part of its supply chain.

A new workplace access protocol that aims to learn about and monitor working conditions in the factories in Inditex’s supply chain in order to comprehend the requirements of the workers and address them is also progressing between Inditex and IndustriALL.

Óscar García Maceiras, CEO of Inditex, said that the protocol signed commemorating the 15th anniversary of the Framework Agreement between Inditex and IndustriALL, evidences their determination to strengthen respect for fundamental labor rights throughout their production chain and marks a new milestone in both organizations’ ongoing mission to improve the lives of the women and men who populate it.

Atle Høie, IndustriALL General Secretary, added that the Global Framework Agreement with Inditex was a milestone that paved the path for greater ethical sourcing and appropriate labor relations in the industry. It is appropriate that they commemorate the first 15 years by signing a convention that elevates their cooperation in terms of adherence to fundamental labor rights. Many people now have optimism because they are working with Inditex to strengthen the position of their local and national unions and to vehemently defend their right to organize and engage in collective bargaining throughout supply chains.