ETI Briefing: March 2005

Freedom of Association and Collective Bargaining

The fundamental objective of the ETI Base Code and other ethical trading codes is to ensure respect for the dignity of workers throughout the supply chain. That requires realisation of their fundamental rights at work. Section 2 of the ETI Base Code provides for freedom of association and the right to bargain collectively. Suppliers, purchasers and social auditors often have difficulty understanding why these fundamental rights are important, what they entail in practice and how to assess progress towards their attainment. This briefing document seeks to explain clearly what freedom of association and the right to collective bargaining mean and why they are at the heart of the ETI alliance and its aims and objectives.
 

Contents of briefing:

1. Introduction
2. Why Freedom of Association and Collective Bargaining?
3. ILO Core Conventions
4. ETI Base Code
5. What Do These Rights Mean?
6. Typical Abuses
7. Monitoring these Rights: indicators of freedom of association and the right to collective bargaining
8. Parallel Means
9. Conclusion

 

See also:

ETI Events: Member roundtables: FOA & Collective Bargaining Seminar (March 2005)

ETI Resources: Issues: FOA & Collective Bargaining