News for October 2009

“The economic crisis threatens the jobs and futures of people everywhere. Decades of deregulation, and the greed and excess of a tiny minority, have pushed the world into the deepest recession since the 1930s.”(ITUC) We can join with millions of workers worldwide on the World Day for Decent Work on 7 October to call for better working conditions for everyone. There is increasing evidence that women and those in insecure work will be hit hardest by the recession. It is more important than ever that the demands of homeworkers and their organisations are heard by governments and companies.

Find out more about events marking World Day for Decent Work at the link below.

Read More »

This week’s You ask, they answer guest is on a mission to answer a recurring dilemma: how do you ensure fashion is fair as well as on-trend? Known as the Ethical Trading Initiative (ETI), it’s an alliance of high street names, NGOs and unions that aims to create, in its own words, "a world where all workers are free from exploitation and discrimination, and work in conditions of freedom, security and equity".

The ETI’s members range from Tesco to Primark, although this year Boots dropped out of the initiative and some big firms – such as BHS and Topshop – are not in the alliance. It has also not stopped its members running into ethical scandals, with Primark having to remove ethical branding from its tills and website earlier this year when it was accused of paying undocumented workers less than the minimum wage.

Monday to Friday this week is your chance to quiz the ETI on everything from fair trade and workers’ rights, to supply chains and ethical consumerism. Want to know if sweatshops are on the rise or on the decline? What effect the recession has had on ethical pledges? Or do you have a comment about what issues and companies you’d like the initiative to tackle next?

You can post your questions to the ETI on the website below:

Read More »