FGG CCC ToC 2: Improved Trade and Investment

CCC will push for trade agreements to ensure that ILO Conventions on employment relationships, wages, gender specific labour issues, freedom of association etc. are improved, adopted and respected thus improving working conditions in garment/sportswear supply chains. This will impact governments in the south and north as well as major brands affected by such agreements. It will provide southern partners with knowledge and improved capacity for lobbying for the implementation of labour clauses in trade agreements, accessing and enlarging the space and influence to negotiate the inclusion of such standards as well as involvement in the consequences of agreements (and non-compliance of) on garment workers. Discrimination and unequal pay are rife within the industry. CCC works with many women's groups and specifically supports capacity building of female worker representatives/organisers. We will ensure that gender specific issues are highlighted in discussions of labour clauses. CCC has good relations with many Dutch embassies/consulates as well as access to Dutch members in the European Parliament. These may be called upon to support our partners in producing countries as well as in regional/global lobby efforts in this dossier. CCC will undertake an initial mapping of opportunities for leverage, potential allies and short/long term objectives on specific agreements/countries to gather areas of concern for partners in producing countries and capacity needs and identify at least two key areas of work for following years. A mapping will also look at regional economic forums such as ASEAN, APEC & regional/bilateral trade agreements in the context of CCC's Global Strategic Framework (e.g. living wages, OSH, freedom of association) and ensure agreements do not erode labour rights progress. CCC will lobby and demand that investor protection clauses do not undermine existing worker protections. Pursuing public procurement practices that supports improvements. Plans for future lobby of OECD governments to support labour positive reforms. CCC will participate and lobby at relevant events (UN, ILO, OECD) and Multi-stakeholder initiatives (MSIs) where effective. CCC will incorporate in a smart way other CCC work and lobby efforts to ensure our capacity building and lobby work is coherent and globally balanced with partner input. We will develop new partnerships to investigate opportunities for and obstacles to such work. We will form an international expert group in relation to trade agreements to develop a unified Network strategy. CCC will support workers’ understanding of power relations in global supply chains through effectively sharing information. CCC will be sharing information within the CCC & larger network on mechanisms/impact of GSP provisions, and consulting with other organisations to determine appropriate opportunities. We collaborate with global network(s) of pro-labour lawyers to build coordinated campaigns around legal demands for remedy, prevention, protection & corporate accountability and explore possibilities for legal action. At the national level, (support efforts to) CCC forms coalitions among different trade unions, other forms of worker organisations and NGOs to develop demands and strategies for pressuring governments.