Myanmar Union Busting Complaint Against C&A Submitted To Dutch Garment Agreement
Image Courtesy of SOMO
Today, SOMO, the Clean Clothes Campaign Netherlands (SKC) and Action Labor Rights (ALR) from Myanmar are submitting a complaint about C&A garment company to the Complaints and Disputes Committee of the Dutch Agreement on Sustainable Garments and Textiles.
The reason is C&A’s substandard efforts to tackle problems at the Roo Hsing garment factory in Myanmar.
In 2018, Roo Hsing’s management repressed the trade union that had just started and forced employees to agree to an unfavourable bonus system.
SOMO, SKC and ALR hope that the complaints procedure will encourage C&A to take action.
Pauline Overeem, senior researcher at SOMO: ‘C&A likes to present itself as a front runner in the field of corporate accountability, but at the same time allows the flagrant violations of labour rights in the production chain to continue.
That is unworthy of the Garment Agreement.
The Roo Hsing case is an important test case for the functioning of the complaints mechanism and for the credibility of the Garment Agreement’.
Two years ago this week, a Myanmar garment factory started a union-busting campaign against a newly formed union, leading to the dismissal and forced resignation of the union’s leadership.
All that time, the factory’s major buyer – garment brand C&A – stood by and watched. Despite repeated requests, C&A has failed to address the situation and bring justice for the workers.
The Roo Hsing Myanmar Co Ltd. factory, located in Hlaing Thayar, an industrial zone in the western part of the capital Yangon, produces clothes primarily for C&A.
Another Buyer Is UK Brand Next.
The Roo Hsing factory is typical of the garment industry in Myanmar, being foreign owned and producing for mostly foreign brands.
The factory also perpetuates an all-too-common tradition in the garment sector of Myanmar: union busting.
Angry workers set up a trade union, but through an effective union-busting campaign, management was able to nip this development in the bud.
Harassment and intimidation led to the dismissal and forced departure of workers who had played a key role in the young union. There is currently no union active in the factory.
C&A Has Not Called The Factory To Account For Unlawful Activities
For almost two years – from July 2018 to April 2020 – Action Labor Rights, the Clean Clothes Campaign Netherlands and SOMO have tried, in a friendly dialogue with C&A, to find a solution to the reported problems.
Unfortunately, to no avail.
