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Book Details
Abstract
The Clean Clothes Campaign is a worldwide movement that aims to improve the wages and conditions of sweatshop workers. This is the story of their struggle.
Large retailers such as Tesco, Walmart and Carrefour lure shoppers in with prices that seem too good to be true. This book shows that they're too good to be fair. All along the industry's supply chain, workers, often children, are exploited through poverty wages, unpaid overtime and harsh anti-union measures. The campaign urges those in charge of the garment industry's supply lines to protect their workers and treat them fairly.
This dynamic account of direct engagement by concerned consumers is a must read for those that see globalisation differently and want their shopping choices to support the most vulnerable people involved in the clothing industry.
'Creating conditions for fair labour in the global economy is the greatest moral challenge of our times. Clean Clothes is an indispensable and sure-footed guide to a sweat-free future'
Andrew Ross, author of Low Pay, High Profile and Nice Work If You Can Get It
'Those of us who wear 'sweaters' might be interested to know that the word lies in the history of industrial organisation, as this masterful account makes clear. There is much insight on development trajectories to be gleaned from this book'
Duncan Campbell, Director, Department of Economics and Labour Market Analysis, International Labour Organisation, United Nations
Table of Contents
Section Title | Page | Action | Price |
---|---|---|---|
Cover | Cover | ||
Contents | v | ||
Photographs | viii | ||
Dedication | xi | ||
Acknowledgements | xiii | ||
Essential Abbreviations | xiv | ||
Preface | xvii | ||
Introduction | 1 | ||
Part 1: A Globalising Industry | 7 | ||
1: A Footloose Enterprise | 9 | ||
The quiet giant awakens | 9 | ||
Dutch sweatshops | 11 | ||
The other side of the world | 14 | ||
Campaign launch | 16 | ||
Naming and shaming | 19 | ||
A code of conduct | 22 | ||
A rare inside view | 24 | ||
And the beat goes on | 28 | ||
2: Destination Elsewhere | 38 | ||
Part 2: A Globalising Network | 45 | ||
3: Asia | 47 | ||
Bangladesh: a lethal industry | 47 | ||
Sri Lanka: the fight in free trade zones | 52 | ||
Indonesia: jobs at a discount | 57 | ||
Thailand: How cats became tigers | 63 | ||
Cambodia: plastic killers and yellow unions | 69 | ||
China: where the sun never sets | 74 | ||
4: Africa | 91 | ||
Madagascar: overcoming isolation | 91 | ||
Southern Africa: research in action | 94 | ||
5: Europe’s Neighbours | 101 | ||
The sweatshop finds new territories | 101 | ||
Eastern Europe: industry-turned-sweatshop | 102 | ||
Poland: caught in the middle | 106 | ||
Turkey: labour rights are constitutional rights | 109 | ||
Part 3: The Campaign in Action | 115 | ||
6: Strategic Developments | 117 | ||
Act locally | 117 | ||
NGOs without borders | 119 | ||
The network in action | 124 | ||
Codes and companies | 128 | ||
The legal angle | 133 | ||
Clean clothes communities | 136 | ||
Sportswear campaigns | 139 | ||
Urgent appeals | 143 | ||
Gender | 144 | ||
The elastic network | 148 | ||
Interlude: The European Network Up-Close | 154 | ||
Malin Eriksson, Sweden | 154 | ||
Carole Crabbe, French-speaking Belgium | 156 | ||
Stefan Indermuhle, Switzerland | 158 | ||
Maik Pflaum, Germany | 160 | ||
Frieda de Koninck, Flemish-speaking Belgium | 161 | ||
Eva Kreisler, Spain | 163 | ||
Bettina Musiolek, Germany | 165 | ||
Nayla Ajaltouni, France | 166 | ||
Michaela Konigshofer, Austria | 168 | ||
Christa de Bruin and Floris de Graad, the Netherlands | 169 | ||
Martin Hearson, United Kingdom | 171 | ||
Deborah Lucchetti and Ersilia Monti, Italy | 173 | ||
Thomas Petersen and Birte Moeller Jensen, Denmark | 176 | ||
Carin Leffler, Norway | 177 | ||
Part 4: Debates and the Future | 179 | ||
7: Support for Workers | 181 | ||
Urgent appeals | 183 | ||
The informal economy and migrant labour | 187 | ||
Gender | 191 | ||
Trade unions and NGOs | 193 | ||
Worker education | 196 | ||
North and south | 198 | ||
8: Consumers | 200 | ||
Fair trade | 200 | ||
Rating and ranking | 202 | ||
Ethical brands | 203 | ||
Sustainable production | 210 | ||
9: Hard Law | 215 | ||
Litigation | 217 | ||
National legislation | 220 | ||
European legislation | 221 | ||
OECD guidelines | 225 | ||
The Ruggie process: do no harm | 228 | ||
10: Companies | 233 | ||
Codes | 233 | ||
Audits | 234 | ||
Multi-stakeholder initiatives | 236 | ||
Fair Wear Foundation | 237 | ||
Purchasing practices | 241 | ||
Asian transnational production companies | 244 | ||
Global retailers | 245 | ||
New campaign perspectives | 249 | ||
Epilogue | 261 | ||
Notes | 266 | ||
Bibliography | 293 | ||
Organisations in the CCC Network | 295 | ||
Index | 301 |