The article discusses the Dindigul Agreement, a labor management agreement between Indian garment workers and their employers in the UK. The agreement was signed in 2022 after seven years of negotiation and was hailed as a major breakthrough for workers' rights. However, despite the agreement's success, many brands have been unwilling to sign on with Natchi Garments Ltd, an Indian factory that has been the subject of controversy due to allegations of forced labor and human trafficking.
The article suggests that some brands are hesitant to work with factories where there is a collective bargaining agreement because they believe it could lead to strikes. However, Shivakumar argues that this is not the case and that workers' rights should be respected.
The article also mentions the EU's corporate sustainability due diligence directive (CSDDD), which aims to ensure that companies respect human rights in their supply chains. However, Shivakumar says that the CSDDD has been watered down, making it less effective.
Overall, the article highlights the challenges of ensuring workers' rights and fair labor practices in global supply chains, particularly in countries like India where labor laws are often weak or poorly enforced.
Some key points from the article include:
* The Dindigul Agreement was signed between Indian garment workers and their employers in 2022 after seven years of negotiation.
* The agreement has been hailed as a major breakthrough for workers' rights, but many brands have been unwilling to sign on with Natchi Garments Ltd due to concerns about strikes.
* Shivakumar argues that workers' rights should be respected and that the industry's reluctance to work with factories where there is a collective bargaining agreement is not justified.
* The EU's corporate sustainability due diligence directive (CSDDD) aims to ensure that companies respect human rights in their supply chains, but Shivakumar says that it has been watered down.
* There have been some notable exceptions, such as the legally enforceable Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh, which was signed by over 200 brands after a garment factory collapse killed over 1,100 workers.
The article suggests that some brands are hesitant to work with factories where there is a collective bargaining agreement because they believe it could lead to strikes. However, Shivakumar argues that this is not the case and that workers' rights should be respected.
The article also mentions the EU's corporate sustainability due diligence directive (CSDDD), which aims to ensure that companies respect human rights in their supply chains. However, Shivakumar says that the CSDDD has been watered down, making it less effective.
Overall, the article highlights the challenges of ensuring workers' rights and fair labor practices in global supply chains, particularly in countries like India where labor laws are often weak or poorly enforced.
Some key points from the article include:
* The Dindigul Agreement was signed between Indian garment workers and their employers in 2022 after seven years of negotiation.
* The agreement has been hailed as a major breakthrough for workers' rights, but many brands have been unwilling to sign on with Natchi Garments Ltd due to concerns about strikes.
* Shivakumar argues that workers' rights should be respected and that the industry's reluctance to work with factories where there is a collective bargaining agreement is not justified.
* The EU's corporate sustainability due diligence directive (CSDDD) aims to ensure that companies respect human rights in their supply chains, but Shivakumar says that it has been watered down.
* There have been some notable exceptions, such as the legally enforceable Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh, which was signed by over 200 brands after a garment factory collapse killed over 1,100 workers.
. It's like, great, a collective bargaining agreement is a good thing, yawn...the real question is what happens when brands start to get cold feet? 
Do they just ignore the whole thing or what?
... I mean, don't get me wrong, it's great that more brands are taking steps to improve workers' rights, but what's the catch? Like, we already have factories in India with questionable reputations that are making a ton of money off cheap labor. So now they're gonna start getting all sorts of regulations and inspections and whatnot? It just feels like another layer of red tape for small-time manufacturers 
... And don't even get me started on the EU's CSDDD, it sounds like just more bureaucracy to me 
... I guess I'm just old school, but I think we should be focusing on real solutions rather than throwing money at a problem 
like what's the point of having an agreement if they're just gonna opt out anyway? 
and btw, who thought it was a good idea for companies to be responsible for human rights in their supply chains but only kinda sorta get away with it? 
...
so i was talking to my friend who works in supply chain management and she told me about this dindigul agreement thingy and i'm like wth is going on with all these brands being lazy and not wanting to work with factories that have collective bargaining agreements 
it's just so frustrating when companies prioritize profits over people. 
but still, at least they're trying to do something right? 
. But at the same time, I can see why some companies might be worried about strikes disrupting production... it's a tricky situation.
We need stronger regulations to protect workers from exploitation.
. And if we can learn from that, maybe some of these factories will start getting their act together... fingers crossed! 
! Can't believe how many loopholes are still there in labor laws, especially in countries like India where it's easy for factories to get away with exploiting their workers. The EU CSDDD is like a good start, but watered down is the right word - more needs to be done to protect workers' rights across all supply chains. Brands need to be held accountable and work with factories that have fair labor practices in place... it's just not cool when workers are treated poorly! 
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. We need to demand better from our brands and from governments 
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. And what really gets me is that some of these brands are taking advantage of loopholes in laws and regulations to avoid accountability. It's like, come on guys, do you want to be part of a system where workers' rights aren't respected? 
The EU's CSDDD is a great start, but if it gets watered down, that's just gonna make things worse 
. Like, what's the point of working with them if they're not gonna follow through? And yeah, the EU CSDDD has been watered down a bit, but I still think it's a step in the right direction 