China Project

ETI Experimental Projects

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Introduction to Project

China is a major source of goods to ETI members and with accession to the WTO and the phasing out of the Multi Fibre Arrangement (MFA) this is increasing. The project arose from the desire of members to work collectively in China, and started as an informal group to discuss common issues and share information on strategies for improving the application of labour standards in China. In March 2003, it became a full tripartite group and since 2004 the group has been instigating practical, project focused work.

Group aims and objectives

The project has four overarching aims:

1. Information Provision for members
2. Raising awareness of the ETI Base Code and the underlying human rights principles (enshrined in the UN ILO Conventions)
3. Practical Improvements through project work with suppliers
4. Developing relationships with Chinese institutions and organisations

Practical improvements

OHS project

From 2004 to 2006, a major focus of the group has been an Occupational Health and Safety project, working with suppliers to put in place elected worker health and safety committees to take forward sustainable operation of health and safety in the workplace. The group hoped a by-product of this work would be the start of or improvement in effective worker management relationships to deal with workplace conditions and increased proactive involvement of workers in representing their colleagues.

Many lessons have been learnt as the project has struggled to progress, with challenges in forming a common understanding between all stakeholders, and issues arising from trying to tackle a single rights issue in isolation from others. The group is currently reflecting on lessons learnt, and is in the process of constructing a revised pilot that will build upon previous experiences. A key element of this work will continue to be promoting social dialogue to improve work environments in a sustainable manner.

Child Labour Remediation Program

Work started in early 2006 with a number of ETI retailers, focusing on the remediation in two factories where child labour was identified. Through the remediation, ETI retailers discovered child labour in the region is more extensive than previously thought, and the group is now exploring how to expand to a wider project that will address the root causes of the problem.

Information provision, raising awareness and developing relationships

Additional aims of the group are empowering members to better understand and engage with suppliers and workers in China, to build their own continuous improvement programmes and to help define the priorities and scope of further work. The full China Project Group continues to meet to discuss these issues and to learn from ongoing focused projects.
 

Key achievements and challenges

Full Time Country Representative for China

In November 2006, ETI appointed a full time Country Representative, Dimitri Kessler, in recognition of the country’s significance as a supplier of clothing and general merchandise to ETI member companies, and of the benefits for ETI of having a more strategic and permanent local presence in key sourcing countries.

Child Labour Remediation Program

The first stage of the remediation started in March and finished in June 2006. In both factories, it included verification of the number of children, selection of the suitable local school, visits to villages of children, liaison with factory management, workshops with children, teachers and parents, monitoring the education program in school, etc. Concurrently, training for factory management helped build up internal systems to prevent future recruitment of child labour.

To date, the remediation programmes have been successful in:

• Removing children from a hazardous working environment
• Returning some children to education
• Encouraging parents to become more supportive of education for children
• Strengthening systems to prevent child labour recruitment in the future.

All of this has been possible through the commitment of the factories involved, and programme will require continued monitoring and support to ensure their continued commitment. It is recognised that the second phase of the project needs to address the root causes of the problem at a regional level, and this is currently being investigated.

Information provision, raising awareness and developing relationships

The project group combines members with significant experience and resources in China. In 2003, the group put together an Induction Document that was produced drawing on the experiences of members in engaging with China over the last few years and outlining some of the pitfalls and difficulties they have faced. In 2004, a Companion to the ETI Base Code was created with specific examples from corporate members' efforts to apply the Base Code and some of the challenges they have faced. Both of these are available to members on the members' area of the ETI website.

In May 2004 the Group held a one day awareness raising conference for over 170 suppliers and other interested parties in Guangzhou, China. Co-hosted with the British Council, this event was designed to raise awareness of the ETI and the work the China Project Group planned to carry out on Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) (links below).
 

Who is involved?

ETI Members:
Companies: Asda, Boots, The Body Shop, CWS, Debenhams, Marks & Spencer, Monsoon, New Look, Next, Pentland, Sainsbury’s, Tesco, William Lamb Footwear, WH Smith.
Trade unions: International Textile, Garment and Leather Workers' Federation (ITGLWF), Trades Unions Congress (TUC)
NGOs: CAFOD, Women Working Worldwide (WWW).

As well as some of their suppliers, affiliates and partners in the China and Hong Kong.
 

For further information contact:

Olivia Robinson, olivia@eti.org.uk.

 

 

Project documents:

1. Project Concept Note (English)
2. One Day Conference in Guangzhou, China, May 2004:
   • Conference programme and presentation downloads (English)
   • Conference programme and presentation downloads (Simplified Chinese)
3. Chinese Version of ETI Leaflet [PDF, 307kb]
   (see also English version of leaflet [PDF, 125kb])
4. ETI Base Code:
   • - Base Code - simplified characters
   • - Base Code - complex/traditional/big5 characters
5. 
   (ETI Factsheet for suppliers - simplified chinese) [PDF, 698kb]

Other relevant links:

Reports on the ETI impact assessment, 2006: Part 2f: Findings and recommendations from a scoping study in China

Report on the ETI Biennial Conference 2003: Chapter 7 - Improving companies' performance on labour issues in China.

See also:

ILO OSH Guidelines are available via:
www.ilo.org/public/english/support/publ/online.htm (main menu)
where you may:
Download the Guidelines on Occupational Safety and Health Management Systems, ILO-OSH 2001 [PDF, English, 543kb]
or, for hard copy:
Order the Guidelines on Occupational Safety and Health Management Systems, ILO-OSH 2001
(also available: OSH Guidelines in French & OSH Guidelines in Spanish).

ETI Activities: Experimental Projects: China Garments Industry Pilot (former project).