"ACT initiative: a potential strategy for living wages in Ethiopia", 27 February 2020

The campaign for living wages in Ethiopia is at the point where the question is not when the low wages will be increased but how soon this can be done...

IndustriALL Global Union’s ACT (Action, Collaboration, Transformation) initiative provides a possible strategy as it finds solutions to systemic problems in the garment industry’s global supply chain.

The laws are in place and the Constitution affirms workers’ rights... The country is also a signatory to the International Labour Organization (ILO) Conventions 87 (freedom of association and the protection of the right to organize) and 98 (right to organize and collective bargaining)...

These and other issues including unrestricted recruitment, and organizing by unions in the industrial parks, collective bargaining, and social dialogue, were the main issues discussed at the ILO roundtable meeting...

The government of Ethiopia was represented by the state minister for labour and social affairs... who said to promote decent work labour stakeholders should build trust. Those who participated included employers, global brands, and trade unions including the Confederation of Ethiopian Trade Unions...

The ACT initiative was represented by IndustriALL, H&M, and PVH. ACT supports living wages, better working conditions and genuine representation of workers, national collective bargaining agreements and better purchasing practices by global brands...