20 Amendments of Elena GENTILE related to 2016/2140(INI)
Amendment 6 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph -1 (new)
Paragraph -1 (new)
-1. Believes that the responsible management of the global supply chain in the garment sector can contribute to economic growth, decent job creation, poverty reduction, the strengthening of human and labour rights as well as to the transition from the informal to the formal economy; however, failures in the supply chain can contribute to decent work deficits for working conditions such as in the areas of occupational safety and health, wages, working time; is concerned that those decent work deficits are pronounced in a significant number of Export Processing Zones (EPZs) linked to global support chains, where, with the aim to attract investment and to create jobs, there are exemptions from labour laws and taxes, as well as restrictions on trade union activities and collective bargaining;
Amendment 7 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Notes that the garment industry is one of the most precarious for workers both within and outside Europe; calls on the flagship initiative, therefore, to put ratification and implementation of ILO conventions and the Decent Work Agenda at its core, with particular focus on those most vulnerable to exploitation, especially children; in this sense, considers it vital to guarantee the ratification and implementation of ILO conventions 182 on worst forms of child labour and 138 on the minimum age for admission to employment and work; calls on the Commission to learn from the experience of the International Programme on the Elimination of Child Labour (IPEC) and The Global Alliance to Eradicate Forced Labour, Modern Slavery, Human Trafficking and Child Labour;
Amendment 12 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1a. Calls on the Commission and Member States to provide incentives for enterprises to enter into CSR commitments and an obligation of diligence for enterprises and groups of enterprises, i.e. an obligation to take proactive measures to identify and prevent any violation of human or environmental rights, corruption or tax evasion, including in their subsidiaries and supply chains, to be included in EU flagship initiative on the garment sector;
Amendment 16 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 b (new)
Paragraph 1 b (new)
1b. Points out the need to provide for the garment sector a notion of CSR including new areas such as the organisation of work, equal opportunities and social inclusion, anti-discrimination measures, the development of lifelong education and training; emphasises that CSR should cover, for example, quality of work, equal pay and career prospects and the promotion of innovative projects so as to assist the shift towards a sustainable economy;
Amendment 18 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Notes that voluntary initiatives are not adequately addressing issues such as health and safety, wages, social security and working time; therefore believes that any initiative should go beyond compliance and responsible management supply chains and support the capacities of public authorities including the strengthening of labour administration and labour inspection systems as well as ensuring that national laws and regulations are in conformity with ILO Core Conventions. Action undertaken should also strengthen Minimum Wage setting mechanisms in accordance with relevant ILO conventions
Amendment 30 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Encourages the EU initiative to promote skills training which contributes to economic and social development and women’s empowerment, since women represent a large share of the workforce in the global supply chain of the garment sector; therefore believes that the initiative should actively promote non- discrimination and gender equality including remuneration along the lines provided for by ILO conventions 100 and 111;
Amendment 40 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Believes the current flagship initiativeonference report on the High-level Conference on Responsible Management of the Supply Chain in the Garment Sector from 25 April 2016 does not go far enough in improving the garment sector; calls on the Commission to release as a matter of urgency the report it commissioned identifying gaps in current policy;
Amendment 43 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4a. Urges the Commission to present, as soon as possible, the EU flagship initiative on responsible management of the supply chain in the garment sector, promised as part of the European Year for Development 2015, which should take into account existing national initiatives such as those in Germany or the Netherlands; believes the EU has the ability and duty to be a global supporter of supply chain responsibility in response to the tragic events like the Rana Plaza collapse, in Bangladesh, and unprecedented interest of EU citizens;
Amendment 45 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 b (new)
Paragraph 4 b (new)
4b. Believes that access to information in the garment sector is often the most important obstacle to tackling human and social and labour rights violations in the global supply chain and that a mandatory reporting system is needed which provides information linking all the actors within the value chain of a single product, from the production place to the retailers; considers that new EU legislation is necessary to create a legal obligation of due diligence for EU companies outsourcing production to third countries, including measures to secure traceability and transparency, in line with the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights and the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises;
Amendment 47 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 c (new)
Paragraph 4 c (new)
4c. Believes that any action resulting from the flagship initiative should help foster multi-stakeholder initiatives such as the ILO/IFC Better Work Programme which combines a tripartite approach with factory compliance and the creation of worker-management dialogue at national level or ACCORD, created in Bangladesh, which is legally binding, includes trade unions and foresees not only inspections of factories but also remediation;
Amendment 49 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Stresses that trade unions must be able to operate independently and freely to promote and protect workers’ rights, particularly health and safety, and that they are a necessary partner in social dialogue and collective bargaining; in this sense the actions resulting from the Garment Initiative should promote social dialogue and collective bargaining at all levels (local, national and international) paying special attention to the ratification and implementation of ILO conventions 87 and 98 on freedom of association and collective bargaining. Workers' representatives should be included in the due diligence process set-up at the company level;
Amendment 55 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5a. Believes that compliance with applicable law and collective labour agreements is a sine qua non of corporate social responsibility; also believes that socially responsible behaviour must of necessity translate into proper relations with trade unions, in particular respect for trade union rights, a continuous flow of information to workers and their representative organisations, and their involvement in company decision-taking;
Amendment 77 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Emphasises the importance ofStress that independent labour inspections inare essential for early warning and prevention, yet notes that factors such as audit fatigue can undermine their effectiveness; believes that the ratification and implementation of ILO convention 181 is key to detect the abuses; recommends further research on ways of improving audits and inspections, such as sending different labour inspectors each time, which can lead to more stringent standards, especially in countries with corruption issues;
Amendment 83 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Believes that responsibility should extend throughout the entire supply chain, and commends existing efforts to this effect; believes, however, that the EU is best placed to develop a common framework through legisRecommends that regulation con mandatory due diligence and supply chataining transparency; recommends that regulhese recommendations should come in addition to and in support of voluntary initiatives at national, European and international level, and that information gathered as a result of EU action should be publicly available.
Amendment 88 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 10 a (new)
Paragraph 10 a (new)
10a. Believes that consumers play a key role in corporate social responsibility, as demonstrated by the Rana Plaza collapse; stresses that greater information on where products originate and the conditions in which they are produced play a key role in assuring decent working conditions in the global supply chain of the garment sector; calls on the Commission to present a proposal for harmonisation of CSR requirements, including a mandatory framework for social reporting and for companies and managers to take responsibility for the consequences of abuses or misdemeanours, and setting a framework for European agreements on CSR;
Amendment 89 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 10 a (new)
Paragraph 10 a (new)
10a. Calls on the Commission, notably its DG Justice, to put forward proposals for better facilitating the access to justice in the EU Courts for the most extreme, egregious cases of human or labour rights violations by European-based businesses or their subsidiaries, subcontractors or business partners, as recommended by the UN Secretary-General's Special Representative on Business and Human Rights;
Amendment 96 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 10 b (new)
Paragraph 10 b (new)
10b. Considers that the lack of respect for international social standards in the garment sector represents a kind of social and environmental dumping harming both businesses and workers; points out that the lacking observance of strict environmental provisions by European businesses in the third countries must be put on the same footing of the observance of workers' rights, as such a lack jeopardises the health of workers and destroys rural and fishing areas depriving local population of any development chance;
Amendment 97 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 10 b (new)
Paragraph 10 b (new)
10b. Welcomes the existence of Sustainable Development Goal 12 on ensuring sustainable consumption and production patterns and calls on the Commission to streamline it in all its initiatives regarding the garment sector; in this sense, and taking into account the experience of the "child labour free" label calls on the creation of a "fair working conditions" label which assures these working standards and whose access requirements are guaranteed to both multinational companies and SMEs;
Amendment 102 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 10 c (new)
Paragraph 10 c (new)
10c. Notes that the Everything But Arms (EBA) initiative has played an important role in the economic development of many countries related to the garment sector and has contributed to improving material conditions for millions of people, in particular women; is convinced, however, that without a sound conditionality in the area of human and labour rights, EBA and the Generalised System of Preferences (GSP) risk exacerbating low standards in worker protection and undermining decent work; calls on the Commission to strengthen human rights, labour and environmental conventions under the GSP; stresses that countries that make good progress in social and labour standards should be rewarded by preserving full market access for their products;
Amendment 106 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 10 d (new)
Paragraph 10 d (new)
10d. Encourages the European Commission to continue to include the ratification of core ILO standards, health and safety inspection and freedom of association in discussions with countries linked to the global supply chain on the garment sector on continued preferential trade;