DUTCH PROPOSAL FOR INDEPENDENT MONITORING
(Clean Clothes newsletter n. 6 - July 1996)
In the Netherlands, the Working Group Fair Trade Charter (in wich the CCC, FNV and NOVIB are involved) developed a system for independent monitoring. The working group plans to set up an independent foundation consisting of retailers, trade unions and NGO's which will do the decision making on monitoring. This foundation hires an independent specialized agency to actually check on the working conditions and this agency will report to the foundation. It is needed to work with a special agency because retailers won't open their books to NGO's nor trade unions. Possible candidates for this actual monitoring are quality controlling agencies such as SGS (SocietŽ General de SecuritŽ). The reatilers itself has to develop an information system and share this information with the independent monitoring agency. The decision to award a company or a reatiler the Fair Trade Charter trademark will be made by the Foundation. This decision depends on the results of regular and random checks by the monitoring agency in the factories. Also the foundation will ask input from trade unions, NGO's , journalists and workers.
The idea is not to shift production from 'bad' factories to 'good' factories but to improve working conditions. A company signing the Fair Trade Charter does not only commit itself to give information but also to finance the changes needed to comply with the demands according to a certain time-schedule. The producers must be offered a chance and time-lap to improve. The monitoring system will therefore have two sides: monitoring and supporting.
When a retailer signs the Fiar Trade Charter, the input of local Southern groups of garment workers in ethe process of monitoring and the capacities to so so, must be assured. Training and consultation on the Fair Trade Charter in Asia is needed. The Asia Pacific Workers Solidarity Links (APWSL) plans to make newspapers in different Asia language. Worker to worker exchange especially within the Asia region and within companies should be stimulated. Samanmalie mentions that she wants to establish a platform on an international level but also on a national level. In Europe we can adopt an organiser to create funds. And every organisation should consult their counterparts about the adoption and implementing of the Fair Trade Charter. European CCC's can demand from the retailers that codes of conduct are translated into local languages and put up in the factories.
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