Better Factories Cambodia to keep brands accountable for poverty wages

A new report from the Clean Clothes Campaign (CCC) and Community Legal Education Centre (CLCE) has evaluated a decade of Better Factories Cambodia (BFC).

Started in 2001, the goal of the Better Factories programme is to improve the working conditions in Cambodian factories and end sweat-shop production. The report discusses the BFC’s achievements and limitations from a worker rights’ perspective.

CCC and CLCE conclude that Cambodian labour rights organisations consider the BFC as a positive development, although working conditions in Cambodia’s clothing sector remain poor generally. “The real wages workers receive have actually declined 14% since 2000 in relation to inflation rates,” said Dr Jeroen Merk, CCC research co-ordinator. “In other words, garment workers have become poorer since the BFC programme was launched. The International Labour Organization should do more to keep global buyers like H&M or Gap accountable for poverty wages.”

For the full story, see the October 2012 edition of Textiles South East Asia. Not a subscriber? Subscribe HERE