GENEVA (ILO News) - The global textile and clothing trade has called on the International Labour Organization (ILO) to play a leading role in addressing a "revolution" facing the industry in the wake of the phase-out of the Multi-fibre Arrangement (MFA) that affects millions of jobs worldwide.
Business, labour and government leaders representing the textile and clothing sector urged the ILO to coordinate a global social response, support skills development projects and other measures as part of a coordinated response to the phase-out of the MFA, for an industry which concerns some 40 million workers and hundreds of thousands of enterprises in the US$ 350 billion a year sector.
"With the phase-out of quotas, the TC (textile and clothing) sector worldwide is experiencing a major revolution that raises fears, challenges and opportunities," said Mr. Jean-Jacques Elmiger, Chairperson of the 24-26 October meeting ( Note 1). "We have a small but important window of opportunity for the development and implementation of collaborative and sustainable strategies."
The three-day meeting marked the first time government, worker and employer representatives had gathered to discuss the phase-out of the MFA and propose measures for dealing with its impact on jobs, enterprises and the global textile and clothing supply chain. The meeting drew far more than the invited participants, reflecting concerns among all parties to the tripartite discussions over the future of the industry.
Meeting participants agreed the ILO contribution to a multilateral response to the adjustment challenges in the industry could involve four major elements, including:
- supporting a major drive to improve skill development for both workers and managers in the sector, and employability for workers;
- a new global information and analysis service including better and more up-to-date employment information and details of compliance with core international labour standards;
- assisting in compliance and remediation with those requesting exporting countries which are ready to ratify and implement ILO core labour standards;
- establishing a global social responsibility forum for dialogue between governments, employers' and workers' organizations in the producing and buying links in the TC chain, relevant international agencies and other relevant bodies.
The group also called on developed countries to support initiatives for compliance with international labour standards in supplying countries and to provide technical assistance to developing and least developed countries, and to facilitate the implementation of socially responsible labour restructuring programmes.
At the same time, the group also urged developing countries to adopt strategies that combine the search for improved competitiveness and the promotion of decent work, and more particularly the creation of national tripartite bodies to monitor the social and economic dimensions of the post-MFA environment.
It also called on least developed countries to develop training and retraining programmes to improve skills and employability of the workers inside and outside the TC sector. The meeting recognized the need to promote a responsible supply chain based on partnerships that balance social and commercial interest during the transition period.
The ILO was asked to provide assistance in all of these efforts.
Although different views were expressed, the chairman noted in his summary of the meeting, that the ILO should cooperate more actively with the World Bank, the WTO and multi-stakeholder initiatives such as the Global Compact, the OECD Guidelines on Multinational Enterprises and the MFA Forum. The meeting particularly stressed the latter, which is a multi-stakeholder group that has been exploring ways to help countries adjust to and survive the changes and impacts on the end of the quota system.
Note 1 - Tripartite Meeting on Promoting Fair Globalization in Textiles and Clothing in a Post-MFA Environment, ILO, Geneva, 24-26 October 2005, TMTC-PMFA/2005/6.