Rana Plaza anniversary: ​​MEPs must support due diligence today!

To effectively conduct this due diligence, there is a growing interest in binding agreements, amid increasing recognition that voluntary social auditing is a failed mechanism, both in terms of protecting workers’ rights and reducing risks for multinational buyer brands and their investors.

Judith Kirton-Darling, general secretary of industriAll European Trade Union says:

“Today, MEPs have the opportunity to bring about real positive change in the lives of workers, including those in the international textile sector, which unfortunately remains notorious for the abuse of workers’ rights. All employees deserve to work in safe environments with decent conditions and we must do everything we can to prevent another disaster like Rana Plaza. We need strong EU due diligence rules to hold companies accountable for their supply chains, wherever they are.”

The Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive will require EU and non-EU companies with a minimum turnover of €450 million in the EU to carry out human rights and environmental due diligence in their value chains.

Oliver Roethig, Regional Secretary of UNI Europe, said:

“The CSDDD will make vital progress to ensure that a company can no longer unilaterally decide its approach to human rights due diligence. Instead, it will be mandatory to meaningfully engage unions through the due diligence process. As the Directive comes into effect, these provisions will ensure that the new requirements are a substantial step forward from failed approaches to corporate social responsibility.”

In the wake of the collapse of the Rana Plaza garment factory by global trade unions, the legally binding International Agreement on Health and Safety in the Textile and Apparel Industry was established and has been signed by more than 200 of the world’s largest brands and fashion retailers to date . It has resulted in more than 56,000 independent inspections of supplier factories, more than 140,000 safety issues resolved and 2 million employees received health and safety training. The Accord is now working to save lives in Pakistan.

Atle Høie, General Secretary of IndustriALL Global Union, says:

“While we are proud of the Accord’s work, we call for more international action to hold textile brands accountable. If adopted, the EU directive will change the lives of millions of workers for the better. The irony that the final vote falls on the same day as the Rana Plaza anniversary is not lost and textile workers in Bangladesh are today calling on the European Parliament to support the directive and hold international textile brands to account.”

Christy Hoffman, Secretary General of UNI Global Union, said:

“Just as UNI and IndustriALL made history when we negotiated the Agreement eleven years ago, MEPs voting today have the opportunity to change the landscape of supply chain responsibility around the world. The Agreement shows the difference unions and companies can make if we draw up binding rules with a sectoral impact. The CSDDD takes supply chain responsibility to a new level and is a huge step in ensuring that ‘Rana Plaza-Never Again’ is more than a slogan.”