Al-Bab Report
In his opening remark, Ravindra Samaraweera, Sri Lankan State Minister of Labour and Trade Union Relations, stated: “We can have hundreds of legislations and standards, but it will never be enough. Shared responsibility is a necessity if we want to ensure living wages. Trade unions play an important role through collective bargaining and social dialogue.” “Textile and export of textile products is the single most important contributor to the economies of most Asian countries.
This also leads to competition. But we must realize that this competition should not compromise rights of workers. I take this opportunity to reaffirm Government of Pakistan’s commitment to accord the highest priority to the rights of our workforce”, stated Pir Syed Sadaruddin Shah Rashidi, Minister for Overseas Pakistanis & Human Resource Development (OPHRD), in his key note speech. Mrs Tanja Gonggrijp, Deputy Director for Sustainable Economic Development with the Netherlands Ministry of Affairs, said: “At the European Conference in Berlin, the Netherlands Government called on Western brands to assume their responsibility on living wage. Today I call on Asian governments and companies to further close the gap between minimum wages and living wages.
Raising minimum wages will be much easier if done together. This is a struggle we can only win if all stakeholders are consulted including labour unions and civil society!” German ambassador Ina Lepel, German Embassy Islamabad, stated: “Living wages that enable people to live in dignity are not arguable. They have to be reached through joint efforts and shared responsibilities.” As a follow-up meeting to the European Conference on Living Wage, held in Berlin, Germany, in 2013, the ALWC builds upon the debate on living wages in global supply chains: it aims to promote regional cooperation rather than competition between textile producing countries as a joint effort to raise the income level throughout the region’s textile sector. The ALWC also takes stock of the initiatives that have emerged since 2013. The conference will present and discuss latest research on the gap between country specific minimum wages and living wages as well as best practices with a focus on social dialogue outcome supported by international buyers.
Background Information: Low wages are a persistent problem in the textile and garment supply chains. Internationally recognised as a human right, a living wage seeks to meet the basic needs of a worker and her or his family. Even though legal minimum wages exist in many developing countries, they are often insufficient to meet basic needs. This holds especially true for workers in the textile and garment sectors. To discuss the challenges and prospects of realising living wages in the textile and garment sector in Asia, the Pakistani Government, in close collaboration with the Government of the Netherlands and the Government of Germany has organized the Asian Living Wage Conference (ALWC). The Government of the Netherlands and the Government of Germany had already decided to join forces at the European Conference on Living Wage, held 2013 in Berlin (Germany). The ALWC highlights the importance of tripartite dialogue in textile producing countries and links this approach to the supply chain initiatives of buyers. This means supporting local tripartite partners (governments, business associations and trade unions) in the producing countries on the one hand, and on the other hand connecting these with members of international brands that are trying to implement living wages in their supply chains (hence the ‘plus’). The organisers share the belief that living wages should constitute an integral part of a regional development strategy. Ideally living wages should lead to higher buying power and less poverty. The ALWC will promote national action plans to be developed by the participating countries. Approaches are presented at the national, sectoral and factory level. At the national level, leading topics will be legal minimum wages and institutional frameworks, such as minimum wage boards. At the sectoral level, the question of how to promote collective bargaining throughout the industry will be raised. At the factory level, important issues are best practices and challenges concerning wage setting mechanisms and brands’ supply chain initiatives.
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