ETI Communiqué
March 2003 Immediate Release
Multi-stakeholder Organisations Decide on Trial Collaboration
The Ethical Trading Initiative hosted a meeting in London on 24 February with other multi-stakeholder organisations that are committed to improving the lives of workers in global supply chains through the promotion of international labour standards. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss possible collaboration in order to improve the effectiveness and impact of our work.
Those organisations represented were:
- Social Accountability International
- Clean Clothes Campaign
- Fair Wear Foundation
- Fair Labor Association
- Workers Rights Consortium
- Ethical Trading Initiative
Draft agreement has been reached for all organisations to work together on a trial project, in a specific market in the apparel sector, in order to evaluate the effective implementation of a common approach to observing the provisions of voluntary codes of labour practice. A Steering Group comprised equally from all six organisations will produce draft Terms of Reference for this project by the end of May 2003. We will engage with appropriate stakeholder organisations throughout the design and implementation of this project.
Ongoing participation is contingent on compatibility with each of the organisation's operational principles concerning transparency and investigative methods. Each organisation believes this trial project will provide opportunities to further understanding about good practice in the field and may be the basis for more extensive collaboration in the future.
3rd March 2003
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