2017/2636(RSP) | [ParlTrack]

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2017/2636(RSP) Resolution on the state of play of the implementation of the sustainability compact in Bangladesh

Role	Committee	Rapporteur	Shadows
Lead	INTA	KARIM Sajjad (ECR)	RUAS Fernando (EPP), JONGERIUS Agnes (S&D), TREMOSA I BALCELLS Ramon (ALDE), SÁNCHEZ CALDENTEY Lola (GUE/NGL), HAUTALA Heidi (Verts/ALE), BORRELLI David (EFD)

Lead committee dossier: INTA/8/09599
Legal Basis RoP 128-p5

Subjects

6.20.03 Bilateral economic and trade agreements and relations

Links

Activites

2017/06/14 Decision by Parliament, 1st reading/single reading
- T8-0265/2017
2017/05/17 Debate in Parliament
- Debate in Parliament

Documents

Debate in Parliament: Debate in Parliament
Decision by Parliament, 1st reading/single reading: T8-0265/2017

Amendments	Dossier
62	2017/2636(RSP) 2017/05/08 INTA 62 amendments... Amendment 1 # Fernando RUAS Citation 7 a (new) - having regard to the Commission staff working document entitled "Sustainable garment value chains through EU development action" (COM (2017) 0147) of 24 April 2017, Amendment 10 # Lola SÁNCHEZ CALDENTEY, Stelios KOULOGLOU, Anne-Marie MINEUR, Helmut SCHOLZ, Eleonora FORENZA Recital C C. whereas the ready-made industry (RMG) is currently employing 4.2 million people in as many as 5000 factories and indirectly supports the livelihoods of as many as 40 million people – about a quarter of Bangladesh’s population; ~~whereas the RMG industry has importantly contributed to poverty reduction and to empowerment of women; whereas women, mostly from rural areas, represent 80% of the RMG sector in Bangladesh;~~ Amendment 11 # Heidi HAUTALA Recital C C. whereas the ready-made industry (RMG) is currently employing 4.2 million people in as many as 5000 factories and indirectly supports the livelihoods of as many as 40 million people – about a quarter of Bangladesh’s population; whereas the RMG industry has importantly contributed to poverty reduction and to empowerment of women; whereas women, mostly from rural areas, represent 80% of the RMG sector in Bangladesh; whereas, however, the minimum wage in the RMG sector has remained below the World Bank's poverty line; Amendment 12 # Agnes JONGERIUS, Alessia Maria MOSCA Recital C a (new) C a. whereas gender equality is a driver of development; whereas women rights fall under the human rights spectrum; whereas it is firmly established in Article 8 of the Treaty of the Functioning of the European Union that "In all its activities, the Union shall aim to eliminate inequalities, and to promote equality, between men and women" and, therefore, the EU has a duty to mainstream gender equality in all its policies, guaranteeing that men and women benefit equally from social changes, economic growth and the creation of decent jobs, doing away with discrimination and promoting respect for women's rights in the world; Amendment 13 # Agnes JONGERIUS, David MARTIN, Jude KIRTON-DARLING, Alessia Maria MOSCA, Eric ANDRIEU, Maria ARENA, Emmanuel MAUREL, Karoline GRASWANDER-HAINZ Recital C b (new) C b. Whereas approximately 10% of the workforce in the RMG sector is employed in Export Processing Zones (EPZ), whereas under the EPZ Labour Act falls short of granting sufficient basic rights to workers in comparison to those elsewhere in Bangladesh, whereas a vast expansion of EPZ is planned. Amendment 14 # Agnes JONGERIUS, David MARTIN, Jude KIRTON-DARLING, Alessia Maria MOSCA, Eric ANDRIEU, Maria ARENA, Emmanuel MAUREL, Karoline GRASWANDER-HAINZ Recital D D. whereas the EU’s generous unilateral trade preference under the so- called “Everything, but arms” initiative for least-developed countries (LDCs) enshrined in the EU GSP regulation granting tariff-free access for Bangladesh textiles under flexible rules of origins have significantly contributed to this success story;growth in export and employment Amendment 15 # Heidi HAUTALA Recital D D. whereas the EU’s generous unilateral trade preference under the so- called “Everything, but arms” initiative for least-developed countries (LDCs) enshrined in the EU GSP regulation granting tariff-free access for Bangladesh textiles under flexible rules of origins have significantly contributed to ~~this success story~~Bangladesh's sizable garment exports; Amendment 16 # Lola SÁNCHEZ CALDENTEY, Stelios KOULOGLOU, Anne-Marie MINEUR, Eleonora FORENZA, Helmut SCHOLZ Recital D D. whereas the EU’s ~~generous~~ unilateral trade preference under the so- called “Everything, but arms” initiative for least-developed countries (LDCs) enshrined in the EU GSP regulation granting tariff-free access for Bangladesh textiles under flexible rules of origins have ~~significantly~~ contributed to ~~this success story~~Bangladesh's sizable exports, including of garments; Amendment 17 # Lola SÁNCHEZ CALDENTEY, Stelios KOULOGLOU, Anne-Marie MINEUR, Eleonora FORENZA, Helmut SCHOLZ Recital E E. whereas these ~~generous~~ trade preferences are enshrined in the EU’s principle to promote fair and free trade, and, therefore, provide for the EU to suspend GSP benefits in most serious cases of human rights violations on the basis of chapter V article 19 point 1 a) of the GSP regulation, which stipulates that preferential treatments may be withdrawn temporarily for [among others]: serious and systematic violation of principles laid down in the conventions listed in Part A of Annex VIII, including the eight ILO fundamental conventions; Amendment 18 # Agnes JONGERIUS, David MARTIN, Jude KIRTON-DARLING, Alessia Maria MOSCA, Eric ANDRIEU, Maria ARENA, Emmanuel MAUREL, Karoline GRASWANDER-HAINZ Recital E a (new) E a. Whereas Bangladesh will cease to be eligable for EBA in 2021, due to its good growth performance, and will have to apply for GSP+ to maintain the current level of market access; whereas GSP+ obligates the receiving country to strict compliance with 27 international conventions on, among others, good governance, labour law and freedom of association; whereas Bangladesh does not meet all of these criteria at the present; Amendment 19 # Agnes JONGERIUS, David MARTIN, Jude KIRTON-DARLING, Alessia Maria MOSCA, Eric ANDRIEU, Maria ARENA, Emmanuel MAUREL, Karoline GRASWANDER-HAINZ Recital F a (new) F a. whereas the Directorate-Generals of EMPL, DEVE and TRADE of the European Commission send a letter on March 16 2017 to the Goverment of Bangladesh demanding tangible progress by May 18 2017 on the following four points: 1) Undertake amendments to the 2013 Labour Act, 2) ensure that the law governing the EPZs allows for full freedom of association, 3) investigate as a matter of urgency all acts of anti-union discrimination and 4) ensure that applications for union registration are acted upon expeditiously and are not denied unless the fail to meet clear and objective criteria set forth in law; Amendment 2 # Tokia SAÏFI, Fernando RUAS Citation 7 a (new) - having regard to the Commission staff working document of 24 April 2017, entitled 'Sustainable garment value chains through EU development action', Amendment 20 # Agnes JONGERIUS, David MARTIN, Jude KIRTON-DARLING, Alessia Maria MOSCA, Eric ANDRIEU, Maria ARENA, Emmanuel MAUREL Recital F b (new) F b. Whereas the International Labour Organisation gave Bangladesh a special paragraph in the ILO Committee on Application of Standards of the ILO Conference in 2016 stating that the country is in serious breach of its obligations under convention 87 (freedom of association); Whereas in 2015, the ILO reported that 78% of trade union registration applications were rejected due to a mix of hostility to unions by factory managers, certain politicians and an administrative incapacity to register them. Amendment 21 # Agnes JONGERIUS, David MARTIN, Jude KIRTON-DARLING, Alessia Maria MOSCA, Eric ANDRIEU, Maria ARENA, Emmanuel MAUREL, Karoline GRASWANDER-HAINZ Recital G G. whereas, according to various reports, hundreds of garment workers died in various factory fires in Bangladesh since 2006, for which regrettably many culpable factory owners and managers have never been brought to justice, whereas it is estimated that 11.7 thousand workers suffer from fatal accidents and a further 24.5 thousand die from work related diseases across all sectors each year; Amendment 22 # Lola SÁNCHEZ CALDENTEY, Stelios KOULOGLOU, Anne-Marie MINEUR, Eleonora FORENZA Recital H H. whereas the current minimum wage of 5 300 BDT (US $ 67) per month has not been increased since 2013 and continues to provide an income below the extreme poverty line set by the World Bank; whereas the minimum wage board has not been convened; Amendment 23 # Heidi HAUTALA Recital H H. whereas the current minimum wage of 5 300 BDT (US $ 67) per month has not been increased since 2013 and the minimum wage board has not been convened; Amendment 24 # Agnes JONGERIUS, David MARTIN, Jude KIRTON-DARLING, Alessia Maria MOSCA, Eric ANDRIEU, Maria ARENA, Emmanuel MAUREL, Karoline GRASWANDER-HAINZ Recital I I. whereas since 21st December 2016, following strikes and demonstrations by Bangladeshi garment workers seeking higher wages, the Bangladeshi authorities ~~have~~arbitrarily arrested orand detained at least 1435 unions leaders and ~~worker rights advocates~~advocates, shut union and NGO offices and put them under police surveillance, and suspended or dismissed 1600 workers for protesting the low wages in the garment industry; Amendment 25 # Lola SÁNCHEZ CALDENTEY, Stelios KOULOGLOU, Anne-Marie MINEUR, Eleonora FORENZA, Helmut SCHOLZ Recital I I. whereas since 21st December 2016, following strikes and demonstrations by Bangladeshi garment workers seeking higher wages, the Bangladeshi authorities have arrested or detained at least 1435 unions leaders and ~~worker rights advocates~~advocates, shut union and NGO offices and put them under police surveillance, and suspended or dismissed 1600 workers for protesting the low wages in the garment industry; Amendment 26 # Heidi HAUTALA Recital I I. whereas since 21st December 2016, following strikes and demonstrations by Bangladeshi garment workers seeking higher wages, the Bangladeshi authorities have arrested or detained at least 1435 unions leaders and worker rights advocates, and suspended or dismissed 1600 workers for protesting the low wages in the garment industry; Amendment 27 # Lola SÁNCHEZ CALDENTEY, Stelios KOULOGLOU, Anne-Marie MINEUR, Eleonora FORENZA, Helmut SCHOLZ Recital K K. whereas a number of promising initiatives led by a collaboration between labour and the private sector such as the Bangladesh Accord on Fire and Building Safety (the Accord) have contributed positively to improving supply chain standards and workforce safety over the last 20 years in terms of increasing workers’ rights in the garment supply chain; Amendment 28 # Heidi HAUTALA Recital K K. whereas a number of promising initiatives led by the private sector such as the Bangladesh Accord on Fire and Building Safety (the Accord) have contributed positively to improving supply chain standards and workforce safety over the last 20 years ~~in terms of increasing workers’ rights in the garment supply chain~~; Amendment 29 # Agnes JONGERIUS, David MARTIN, Jude KIRTON-DARLING, Alessia Maria MOSCA, Eric ANDRIEU, Maria ARENA, Emmanuel MAUREL, Karoline GRASWANDER-HAINZ Recital K K. whereas a number of promising initiatives led by the private sector such as the Bangladesh Accord on Fire and Building Safety (the Accord) have contributed moderately positively to improving supply chain standards and workforce safety over the last 20 years in terms of increasing workers’ rights in the garment supply chain; Amendment 3 # Agnes JONGERIUS, David MARTIN, Jude KIRTON-DARLING, Alessia Maria MOSCA, Eric ANDRIEU, Maria ARENA, Emmanuel MAUREL, Karoline GRASWANDER-HAINZ Citation 15 a (new) - having regard to special paragraph in the ILO Committee on Application of Standards of the ILO Conference of 2016, the ILO High Level Tripartite Mission Report and the 2017 observations of the ILO Committee of Experts on the Application of Conventions and Recommendations concerning Conventions 87 and 98 Amendment 30 # Heidi HAUTALA Recital L L. whereas the conclusions of successive reviews of the Compact in 2014, 2015 and 2016 are reporting tangible improvements achieved by the Bangladeshi authorities, and are recognizing the contribution of the Compact in improving health and safety in factories and working conditions in the RMG industry; whereas progress relating to worker’s rights has ~~been more challenging an~~instead witnessed no substantial progress ~~has been witnessed for the last months in this area~~; whereas, according to the ILO, the failure to meaningfully amend and implement the Bangladesh Labour Act of 2006 results in severe obstacles to exercise the right of freedom of association and in registering trade unions, especially in the RMG sector; whereas workers in Export Processing Zones have been denied the right to join trade unions; Amendment 31 # Lola SÁNCHEZ CALDENTEY, Stelios KOULOGLOU, Anne-Marie MINEUR, Eleonora FORENZA, Helmut SCHOLZ Recital L L. whereas the conclusions of successive reviews of the Compact in 2014, 2015 and 2016 ~~are reporting tangible improvements achieved by the Bangladeshi authorities, and are~~ recogniz~~ing~~e the contribution of the Compact in improving health and safety in factories ~~and working conditions~~ in the RMG industry; whereas progress relating to worker’s rights has been more challenging and no substantial progress has been witnessed for the last months in this area; Amendment 32 # Agnes JONGERIUS, David MARTIN, Jude KIRTON-DARLING, Alessia Maria MOSCA, Eric ANDRIEU, Maria ARENA, Emmanuel MAUREL, Karoline GRASWANDER-HAINZ Recital L L. whereas the conclusions of successive reviews of the Compact in 2014, 2015 and 2016 are reporting tangible improvements achieved by the Bangladeshi authorities in some areas, and are recognizing the contribution of the Compact in moderately improving health and safety in factories and working conditions in the RMG industry; whereas progress relating to worker’'s rights has been more challenging and no ~~substantial~~ progress has been witnessed for the last ~~month~~years in this area; Amendment 33 # Lola SÁNCHEZ CALDENTEY, Stelios KOULOGLOU, Anne-Marie MINEUR, Eleonora FORENZA, Helmut SCHOLZ Recital L a (new) L a. Whereas the ILO has indicated that Bangladesh has made no tangible progress in amending the Bangladesh Labour Act of 2006 and adopted Implementing Rules which create obstacles to the exercise of freedom of association; whereas workers in the garment sector continue to face serious obstacles in registering trade unions; whereas workers have been dismissed for trade union activity without recourse and without sanction of any kind for the employer; whereas workers have been repeatedly subjected to acts of violence, including murder, for exercising trade union activities; and whereas workers in Export Processing Zones have been denied the right to join trade unions; Amendment 34 # Agnes JONGERIUS, David MARTIN, Jude KIRTON-DARLING, Alessia Maria MOSCA, Eric ANDRIEU, Maria ARENA, Emmanuel MAUREL, Karoline GRASWANDER-HAINZ Recital M a (new) M a. whereas global trade unions (ETUC, ITUC, Uni Global Union, IndustriAll) have been calling for the European Commission to carry out a GSP investigation due to, as the unions state: 'the government [of Bangladesh] has demonstrated beyond any doubt that continued dialogue mechanisms have failed and will do little if anything to improve conditions of the more than 4 million garment workers and the many millions more in other sectors' Amendment 35 # Agnes JONGERIUS Recital M b (new) M b. whereas, despite the various commitments undertaken by the EU, the Government of Bangladesh, international organizations, and private operators, labour and human rights' protection in the country continues to fall well short of international standards; Amendment 36 # Lola SÁNCHEZ CALDENTEY, Stelios KOULOGLOU, Anne-Marie MINEUR, Eleonora FORENZA, Helmut SCHOLZ Paragraph 1 1. Stresses that despite the ~~impressive track record on growth and develop~~growth experimented in recent years, Bangladesh needs to urgently do sizable efforts ~~over the long run~~ in order to achieve sustainable and more inclusive economic growth; underlines that structural reforms leading to increase of productivity, further diversification of exports , social justice, workers' rights, environmental protectionand fight against corruption would be essential in this sense; Amendment 37 # Heidi HAUTALA Paragraph 1 1. Stresses that despite the impressive track record on growth and development in recent years, Bangladesh needs to d~~o sizable efforts over the long run in order to achiev~~ecisively increase efforts towards a more sustainable and more inclusive economic growth; underlines that structural reforms leading to increase of productivity, further diversification of exports and fight against corruption would be essential in this sense; Amendment 38 # Lola SÁNCHEZ CALDENTEY, Stelios KOULOGLOU, Anne-Marie MINEUR, Eleonora FORENZA, Helmut SCHOLZ Paragraph 2 2. Calls on the Government of Bangladesh (GOB) ~~to enhance its level of engagement~~ to improve safety and working conditions and protect workers’ rights in garment sector as a matter of highest priority, to ~~enhance~~ implementat~~ion of~~ legislation on building and factory safety; to continue to raise government funding for labour inspectorate, to continue to recruit and to train more factory inspectors, to provide for conditions to lower the turnover of labour inspectors, to set-up an annual work plan for follow-up inspections of factories subject to remediation and to enlarge building and factory inspections to other sectors; Amendment 39 # Lola SÁNCHEZ CALDENTEY, Stelios KOULOGLOU, Anne-Marie MINEUR, Eleonora FORENZA, Helmut SCHOLZ Paragraph 4 a (new) 4 a. urges the Government of Bangladesh to instate immediately the minimum wage board and institute a shorter frequency of wage review; Amendment 4 # Agnes JONGERIUS, David MARTIN, Jude KIRTON-DARLING, Alessia Maria MOSCA, Eric ANDRIEU, Emmanuel MAUREL, Karoline GRASWANDER-HAINZ, Maria ARENA Citation 15 b (new) - having regard for the complaint filed in 2017 with the ILO Committee on Freedom of Association concerning the government's crackdown on garment workers in Ashulia in December 2016 and the complaint filed with the UN special mandates concerning the crackdown in Ashulia Amendment 40 # Heidi HAUTALA Paragraph 4 a (new) 4 a. Urges the GOB to institute a wage review every two years. Amendment 41 # Heidi HAUTALA Paragraph 5 5. ~~Calls on~~Urges the international brands/retailers and Bangladeshi private sector to ~~stay engaged in order~~respect and effectively implement the labour law, to impro~~mote over the long run~~ve responsible business practices and decent working conditions for Bangladeshi garment workers, and to facilitate transparent and coordinated mechanisms between relevant initiatives; encourages the continuation of the work of the global retailers and brands to adopt a unified code of conduct for factory audit in Bangladesh; Amendment 42 # Lola SÁNCHEZ CALDENTEY, Stelios KOULOGLOU, Anne-Marie MINEUR, Eleonora FORENZA, Helmut SCHOLZ Paragraph 5 5. Calls on the international brands/retailers and Bangladeshi private sector to ~~stay engaged in order to promote over the long run~~respect the labor laws and to promote responsible business practices ~~and~~including decent working conditions for Bangladeshi garment workers and facilitate transparent ~~and coordinated mechanisms between relevant initiative~~information on which factories are producing the goods; encourages the continuation of the work of the global retailers and brands to adopt a unified code of conduct for factory audit in Bangladesh; Amendment 43 # Fernando RUAS Paragraph 5 5. Calls on the international brands/retailers and Bangladeshi private sector to stay engaged in order to implement CSR measures and promote over the long run responsible business practices and decent working conditions for Bangladeshi garment workers and facilitate transparent and coordinated mechanisms between relevant initiatives; encourages the continuation of the work of the global retailers and brands to adopt a unified code of conduct for factory audit in Bangladesh; Amendment 44 # Fernando RUAS Paragraph 6 6. Stresses the achievements of the engagement of the private business sector in cooperation with the Bangladesh government and international organisations in Bangladesh through the “Accord on Fire and Building Safety”; points out however that despite marking progress on fire and building safety, the Accord still remains concerned with the slow pace of completing remediation on critical safety issues; calls on parties of the “Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh” to prolong their engagement through the “Accord” for another period of five years before the current agreement comes to end on 12 May 2018; invites the government of Bangladesh as well as the Bangladeshi business sector to acknowledge the usefulness of the commitment of retailers in Bangladesh through the Accord and support the extension of their mandate in Bangladesh; Amendment 45 # Lola SÁNCHEZ CALDENTEY, Stelios KOULOGLOU, Eleonora FORENZA, Helmut SCHOLZ Paragraph 6 a (new) 6 a. calls for the Commission to extend corporate social responsibility through binding legislation on due diligence obligations to ensure that EU companies fulfil their obligation to respect both human rights and the highest social and environmental standards; Amendment 46 # Heidi HAUTALA Paragraph 8 8. Supports the follow-up activities of the Bangladesh Sustainability Compact and the Commission and the EEAS enhanced dialogue on labour and human rights with Bangladesh to achieve ~~better~~ compliance with the principles of the conventions listed in the GSP regulation; considers that an investigation under the GSP mechanism might be necessary in the case that the May 18 Compact meeting in Dhaka should have failed in indicating a meaningful way towards guaranteeing compliance with the GSP listed conventions; Amendment 47 # Lola SÁNCHEZ CALDENTEY, Stelios KOULOGLOU, Anne-Marie MINEUR, Eleonora FORENZA, Helmut SCHOLZ Paragraph 8 a (new) 8 a. Calls on the EU to initiate an investigation under the GSP mechanism as a way to ensure meaningful progress on workers’ rights, safety and working conditions, building and factory safety and labour inspections; calls on the EU to commence similar procedures regarding the amendment of 2013 Labour Act to address freedom of association and collective bargaining, promotion of social dialogue, non-arbitrary registration of trade unions, and effective investigation and prosecution of alleged anti-union discrimination, as well as the safeguard of labour legislative frameworks and their full compliance with international standards such as ILO conventions 87 and 89; Amendment 48 # Agnes JONGERIUS, Maria ARENA, Karoline GRASWANDER-HAINZ Paragraph 9 9. Supports the Commission's examination of a possible EU-wide initiative on the garment sector~~-voluntary initiatives and strict codes of conduct shall be its key principles; stresses furthermore that coordination, s~~; reiterates its call on the Commission to propose binding legislation on due diligence obligations for supply charings in~~formation and exchange of best practices may contribute to increasing efficiency of private and public value chain initiatives and achieve positive results on sustainable development;~~ the garment sector so as to ensure that the EU and its trading partners and operators fulfil their obligations to respect both human rights and the highest social and environmental standards. Amendment 49 # Lola SÁNCHEZ CALDENTEY, Stelios KOULOGLOU, Eleonora FORENZA, Helmut SCHOLZ Paragraph 9 9. Supports the Commission's examination of a possible EU-wide initiative on the garment sector~~-voluntary initiatives and strict codes of c~~; reminds the European Parliament's call on the Commission to go beyond the presentation of a Staff Working Document and to propose binding legislation on du~~ct shall be its key principles~~e diligence obligations for supply chains in the garment sector; stresses furthermore that coordination, sharing information and exchange of best practices may contribute to increasing efficiency of private and public value chain initiatives and achieve positive results on sustainable development; Amendment 5 # Lola SÁNCHEZ CALDENTEY, Eleonora FORENZA, Anne-Marie MINEUR, Stelios KOULOGLOU, Helmut SCHOLZ Citation 16 — having regard to special paragraph in the ILO Committee on Application of Standards of the ILO Conference of 2016, the ILO High Level Tripartite Mission Report and the 2017 observations of the ILO Committee of Experts on the Application of Conventions and Recommendations concerning Conventions 87 and 98 - all which demonstrate convincingly the failure of the government to respect the right to freedom of association and to bargain collectively; Amendment 50 # Tokia SAÏFI, Fernando RUAS Paragraph 9 9. Supports the Commission's examination of a possible EU-wide initiative on the garment sector-voluntary initiatives and strict codes of conduct shall be its key principles; notes the Commission staff working document of 24 April 2017, entitled 'Sustainable garment value chains through EU development action', and calls once again on the Commission not to confine itself to simply presenting a working document; stresses furthermore that coordination, sharing information and exchange of best practices may contribute to increasing efficiency of private and public value chain initiatives and achieve positive results on sustainable development; Amendment 51 # Lola SÁNCHEZ CALDENTEY, Stelios KOULOGLOU, Anne-Marie MINEUR, Eleonora FORENZA Paragraph 9 9. Supports the Commission's examination of a possible EU-wide initiative on the garment sector-voluntary initiatives and strict codes of conduct shall be its key principles; stresses furthermore that coordination, sharing information and exchange of best practices may contribute to increasing efficiency of private and public value chain initiatives ~~and achie~~but have proven to be insufficient to deliver positive enough results on sustainable development; Amendment 52 # Fernando RUAS Paragraph 9 9. Supports the Commission's examination of a possible EU-wide initiative on the garment sector-voluntary initiatives and strict codes of conduct shall be its key principles; stresses furthermore that coordination, sharing information ~~and~~, exchange of best practices and the commitment of governments to set the appropriate framework conditions may contribute to increasing efficiency of private and public value chain initiatives and achieve positive results on sustainable development; underlines the importance of raising awareness amongst consumers to increase transparency as well as to support the efforts for better labour and environmental standards, product safety and sustainable consumption; Amendment 53 # Heidi HAUTALA Paragraph 9 9. Supports the Commission's examination of a possible EU-wide initiative on the garment sector~~-voluntary initiatives and strict codes of conduct shall be its key principles~~; stresses furthermore that coordination, sharing information and exchange of best practices may contribute to increasing efficiency of private and public value chain initiatives and achieve positive results on sustainable development; Amendment 54 # Tokia SAÏFI, Fernando RUAS Paragraph 9 a (new) 9a. Takes the view that the Bangladesh Sustainability Compact, in which the EU is a key player, could serve as a paradigm for the establishment of similar partnerships with third countries; calls on the EU to continue and step up its international cooperation with organisations such as the ILO, the OECD and the United Nations in the area of sustainable development and corporate social responsability; Amendment 55 # Paragraph 9 a (new) 9 a. Supports the Commission's stated intent to launch an official GSP investigation when by May 18 2017 if no 'sufficient substantial and meaningful progress together with a sound and time- bound strategy' is put in place by the GOB; Amendment 56 # Agnes JONGERIUS, David MARTIN, Jude KIRTON-DARLING, Alessia Maria MOSCA, Eric ANDRIEU, Maria ARENA, Emmanuel MAUREL, Karoline GRASWANDER-HAINZ Paragraph 9 a (new) 9 a. Supports the Commission's stated intent to launch an official GSP investigation when by May 18 2017 if no tangible progress is put in place by the GOB; Amendment 57 # Lola SÁNCHEZ CALDENTEY, Stelios KOULOGLOU, Eleonora FORENZA, Anne-Marie MINEUR, Helmut SCHOLZ Paragraph 9 a (new) 9 a. supports the efforts of the UN open ended working group with the aim of elaborating a binding UN Treaty on business and human rights; calls upon the Commission and Member States to actively engage in this negotiations; Amendment 58 # Agnes JONGERIUS, David MARTIN, Jude KIRTON-DARLING, Alessia Maria MOSCA, Eric ANDRIEU, Maria ARENA, Emmanuel MAUREL, Karoline GRASWANDER-HAINZ Paragraph 9 b (new) 9 b. Calls on the European Commission to use the leverage granted by the future GSP+ negotiations with Bangladesh to the fullest extend and firmly hold the country to the international obligations it has to meet before being considered for GSP+; Amendment 59 # Paragraph 9 b (new) 9 b. Calls on the European Commission to use the leverage granted by the future GSP+ negotiations with Bangladesh to the fullest extend and firmly hold the country to the international obligations it has to meet before being considered for GSP+; Amendment 6 # Lola SÁNCHEZ CALDENTEY, Stelios KOULOGLOU, Anne-Marie MINEUR, Eleonora FORENZA, Helmut SCHOLZ Citation 16 a (new) - having regard for the complaint filed in 2017 with the ILO Committee on Freedom of Association concerning the government's crackdown on garment workers in Ashulia in December 2016 and the complaint filed with the UN special mandates concerning the crackdown in Ashulia; Amendment 60 # Agnes JONGERIUS, David MARTIN, Jude KIRTON-DARLING, Alessia Maria MOSCA, Eric ANDRIEU, Maria ARENA, Emmanuel MAUREL, Karoline GRASWANDER-HAINZ Paragraph 9 c (new) 9 c. Underlines that failure to improve the security situation and systematically confront the threats posed by extremists in Bangladesh will have a direct effect on investment in the country, which will ultimately hold back long term development and the lives of ordinary people. Amendment 61 # Paragraph 9 c (new) 9 c. Underlines that failure to improve the security situation and systematically confront the threats posed by extremists in Bangladesh will have a direct effect on investment in the country, which will ultimately hold back long term development and the lives of ordinary people; Amendment 62 # Lola SÁNCHEZ CALDENTEY, Stelios KOULOGLOU, Eleonora FORENZA, Helmut SCHOLZ Paragraph 10 10. Stresses that the high-quality garment sector is essential for Bangladeshi economic and social development, that its expansion has allowed many workers, especially women, to move from informal economy to formal economy; wais deeply concerns against initiatives that could lead to disengagement of EU and other businesses from Bangladesh which would be damaging not only for their reputation but most importantly for future development perspectives of the countrybout the conditions of garment workers in Bangladesh; shares the concern of the International Trade Union Confederation; Notes with concern how existing voluntary initiatives for garment sector´s global supply chain sustainability have fallen short to effectively address human rights and labour rights related issues in the garment sector; Calls, therefore, on the Commission to present a legislative proposal on binding due diligence obligations for supply chains in the garment sector; Amendment 7 # Fernando RUAS Citation 21 a (new) - having regard to the Accord Quarterly Aggregate Report on remediation progress at RMG factories covered by the Accord of 31 October 2016, Amendment 8 # Lola SÁNCHEZ CALDENTEY, Stelios KOULOGLOU, Eleonora FORENZA, Anne-Marie MINEUR Recital A A. whereas Bangladesh has undergone remarkable development in recent years, the country’s GDP is predicted to grow annually at an average of 6.6 % between 2013 and 2018, while between 2010 and 2013, total trade grew on average 19% per year, whereas in the Human Development Index (HDI) Bangladesh has consistently moved up the ranks since the 1980s;deleted Amendment 9 # Agnes JONGERIUS, Alessia Maria MOSCA Recital C C. whereas the ready-made industry (RMG) is currently employing 4.2 million people in as many as 5000 factories and indirectly supports the livelihoods of as many as 40 million people – -about a quarter of Bangladesh’'s population; whereas the RMG industry has importantly contributed to poverty reduction and to empowerment of women; whereas women, mostly from rural areas, represent 80% of the RMG sector in Bangladesh; whereas however 80% of workers are still employed in the informal sector; whereas the complex nature of the garment supply chain and its low level of transparency facilitate human rights violations and increase exploitation; source: 604.648

Amendments

Dossier

2017/2636(RSP)

2017/05/08 INTA 62 amendments...

Amendment 1 #

Fernando RUAS

Citation 7 a (new)

- having regard to the Commission staff working document entitled "Sustainable garment value chains through EU development action" (COM (2017) 0147) of 24 April 2017,

Amendment 10 #

Lola SÁNCHEZ CALDENTEY, Stelios KOULOGLOU, Anne-Marie MINEUR, Helmut SCHOLZ, Eleonora FORENZA

Recital C

Amendment 11 #

Heidi HAUTALA

Recital C

C. whereas the ready-made industry (RMG) is currently employing 4.2 million people in as many as 5000 factories and indirectly supports the livelihoods of as many as 40 million people – about a quarter of Bangladesh’s population; whereas the RMG industry has importantly contributed to poverty reduction and to empowerment of women; whereas women, mostly from rural areas, represent 80% of the RMG sector in Bangladesh; whereas, however, the minimum wage in the RMG sector has remained below the World Bank's poverty line;

Amendment 12 #

Agnes JONGERIUS, Alessia Maria MOSCA

Recital C a (new)

C a. whereas gender equality is a driver of development; whereas women rights fall under the human rights spectrum; whereas it is firmly established in Article 8 of the Treaty of the Functioning of the European Union that "In all its activities, the Union shall aim to eliminate inequalities, and to promote equality, between men and women" and, therefore, the EU has a duty to mainstream gender equality in all its policies, guaranteeing that men and women benefit equally from social changes, economic growth and the creation of decent jobs, doing away with discrimination and promoting respect for women's rights in the world;

Amendment 13 #

Agnes JONGERIUS, David MARTIN, Jude KIRTON-DARLING, Alessia Maria MOSCA, Eric ANDRIEU, Maria ARENA, Emmanuel MAUREL, Karoline GRASWANDER-HAINZ

Recital C b (new)

C b. Whereas approximately 10% of the workforce in the RMG sector is employed in Export Processing Zones (EPZ), whereas under the EPZ Labour Act falls short of granting sufficient basic rights to workers in comparison to those elsewhere in Bangladesh, whereas a vast expansion of EPZ is planned.

Amendment 14 #

Agnes JONGERIUS, David MARTIN, Jude KIRTON-DARLING, Alessia Maria MOSCA, Eric ANDRIEU, Maria ARENA, Emmanuel MAUREL, Karoline GRASWANDER-HAINZ

Recital D

D. whereas the EU’s generous unilateral trade preference under the so- called “Everything, but arms” initiative for least-developed countries (LDCs) enshrined in the EU GSP regulation granting tariff-free access for Bangladesh textiles under flexible rules of origins have significantly contributed to this success story;growth in export and employment

Amendment 15 #

Heidi HAUTALA

Recital D

Amendment 16 #

Lola SÁNCHEZ CALDENTEY, Stelios KOULOGLOU, Anne-Marie MINEUR, Eleonora FORENZA, Helmut SCHOLZ

Recital D

D. whereas the EU’s ~~generous~~ unilateral trade preference under the so- called “Everything, but arms” initiative for least-developed countries (LDCs) enshrined in the EU GSP regulation granting tariff-free access for Bangladesh textiles under flexible rules of origins have ~~significantly~~ contributed to ~~this success story~~Bangladesh's sizable exports, including of garments;

Amendment 17 #

Lola SÁNCHEZ CALDENTEY, Stelios KOULOGLOU, Anne-Marie MINEUR, Eleonora FORENZA, Helmut SCHOLZ

Recital E

E. whereas these ~~generous~~ trade preferences are enshrined in the EU’s principle to promote fair and free trade, and, therefore, provide for the EU to suspend GSP benefits in most serious cases of human rights violations on the basis of chapter V article 19 point 1 a) of the GSP regulation, which stipulates that preferential treatments may be withdrawn temporarily for [among others]: serious and systematic violation of principles laid down in the conventions listed in Part A of Annex VIII, including the eight ILO fundamental conventions;

Amendment 18 #

Agnes JONGERIUS, David MARTIN, Jude KIRTON-DARLING, Alessia Maria MOSCA, Eric ANDRIEU, Maria ARENA, Emmanuel MAUREL, Karoline GRASWANDER-HAINZ

Recital E a (new)

E a. Whereas Bangladesh will cease to be eligable for EBA in 2021, due to its good growth performance, and will have to apply for GSP+ to maintain the current level of market access; whereas GSP+ obligates the receiving country to strict compliance with 27 international conventions on, among others, good governance, labour law and freedom of association; whereas Bangladesh does not meet all of these criteria at the present;

Amendment 19 #

Agnes JONGERIUS, David MARTIN, Jude KIRTON-DARLING, Alessia Maria MOSCA, Eric ANDRIEU, Maria ARENA, Emmanuel MAUREL, Karoline GRASWANDER-HAINZ

Recital F a (new)

F a. whereas the Directorate-Generals of EMPL, DEVE and TRADE of the European Commission send a letter on March 16 2017 to the Goverment of Bangladesh demanding tangible progress by May 18 2017 on the following four points: 1) Undertake amendments to the 2013 Labour Act, 2) ensure that the law governing the EPZs allows for full freedom of association, 3) investigate as a matter of urgency all acts of anti-union discrimination and 4) ensure that applications for union registration are acted upon expeditiously and are not denied unless the fail to meet clear and objective criteria set forth in law;

Amendment 2 #

Tokia SAÏFI, Fernando RUAS

Citation 7 a (new)

- having regard to the Commission staff working document of 24 April 2017, entitled 'Sustainable garment value chains through EU development action',

Amendment 20 #

Agnes JONGERIUS, David MARTIN, Jude KIRTON-DARLING, Alessia Maria MOSCA, Eric ANDRIEU, Maria ARENA, Emmanuel MAUREL

Recital F b (new)

F b. Whereas the International Labour Organisation gave Bangladesh a special paragraph in the ILO Committee on Application of Standards of the ILO Conference in 2016 stating that the country is in serious breach of its obligations under convention 87 (freedom of association); Whereas in 2015, the ILO reported that 78% of trade union registration applications were rejected due to a mix of hostility to unions by factory managers, certain politicians and an administrative incapacity to register them.

Amendment 21 #

Agnes JONGERIUS, David MARTIN, Jude KIRTON-DARLING, Alessia Maria MOSCA, Eric ANDRIEU, Maria ARENA, Emmanuel MAUREL, Karoline GRASWANDER-HAINZ

Recital G

G. whereas, according to various reports, hundreds of garment workers died in various factory fires in Bangladesh since 2006, for which regrettably many culpable factory owners and managers have never been brought to justice, whereas it is estimated that 11.7 thousand workers suffer from fatal accidents and a further 24.5 thousand die from work related diseases across all sectors each year;

Amendment 22 #

Lola SÁNCHEZ CALDENTEY, Stelios KOULOGLOU, Anne-Marie MINEUR, Eleonora FORENZA

Recital H

H. whereas the current minimum wage of 5 300 BDT (US $ 67) per month has not been increased since 2013 and continues to provide an income below the extreme poverty line set by the World Bank; whereas the minimum wage board has not been convened;

Amendment 23 #

Heidi HAUTALA

Recital H

H. whereas the current minimum wage of 5 300 BDT (US $ 67) per month has not been increased since 2013 and the minimum wage board has not been convened;

Amendment 24 #

Agnes JONGERIUS, David MARTIN, Jude KIRTON-DARLING, Alessia Maria MOSCA, Eric ANDRIEU, Maria ARENA, Emmanuel MAUREL, Karoline GRASWANDER-HAINZ

Recital I

I. whereas since 21st December 2016, following strikes and demonstrations by Bangladeshi garment workers seeking higher wages, the Bangladeshi authorities ~~have~~arbitrarily arrested orand detained at least 1435 unions leaders and ~~worker rights advocates~~advocates, shut union and NGO offices and put them under police surveillance, and suspended or dismissed 1600 workers for protesting the low wages in the garment industry;

Amendment 25 #

Lola SÁNCHEZ CALDENTEY, Stelios KOULOGLOU, Anne-Marie MINEUR, Eleonora FORENZA, Helmut SCHOLZ

Recital I

I. whereas since 21st December 2016, following strikes and demonstrations by Bangladeshi garment workers seeking higher wages, the Bangladeshi authorities have arrested or detained at least 1435 unions leaders and ~~worker rights advocates~~advocates, shut union and NGO offices and put them under police surveillance, and suspended or dismissed 1600 workers for protesting the low wages in the garment industry;

Amendment 26 #

Heidi HAUTALA

Recital I

I. whereas since 21st December 2016, following strikes and demonstrations by Bangladeshi garment workers seeking higher wages, the Bangladeshi authorities have arrested or detained at least 1435 unions leaders and worker rights advocates, and suspended or dismissed 1600 workers for protesting the low wages in the garment industry;

Amendment 27 #

Lola SÁNCHEZ CALDENTEY, Stelios KOULOGLOU, Anne-Marie MINEUR, Eleonora FORENZA, Helmut SCHOLZ

Recital K

K. whereas a number of promising initiatives led by a collaboration between labour and the private sector such as the Bangladesh Accord on Fire and Building Safety (the Accord) have contributed positively to improving supply chain standards and workforce safety over the last 20 years in terms of increasing workers’ rights in the garment supply chain;

Amendment 28 #

Heidi HAUTALA

Recital K

K. whereas a number of promising initiatives led by the private sector such as the Bangladesh Accord on Fire and Building Safety (the Accord) have contributed positively to improving supply chain standards and workforce safety over the last 20 years ~~in terms of increasing workers’ rights in the garment supply chain~~;

Amendment 29 #

Agnes JONGERIUS, David MARTIN, Jude KIRTON-DARLING, Alessia Maria MOSCA, Eric ANDRIEU, Maria ARENA, Emmanuel MAUREL, Karoline GRASWANDER-HAINZ

Recital K

K. whereas a number of promising initiatives led by the private sector such as the Bangladesh Accord on Fire and Building Safety (the Accord) have contributed moderately positively to improving supply chain standards and workforce safety over the last 20 years in terms of increasing workers’ rights in the garment supply chain;

Amendment 3 #

Agnes JONGERIUS, David MARTIN, Jude KIRTON-DARLING, Alessia Maria MOSCA, Eric ANDRIEU, Maria ARENA, Emmanuel MAUREL, Karoline GRASWANDER-HAINZ

Citation 15 a (new)

- having regard to special paragraph in the ILO Committee on Application of Standards of the ILO Conference of 2016, the ILO High Level Tripartite Mission Report and the 2017 observations of the ILO Committee of Experts on the Application of Conventions and Recommendations concerning Conventions 87 and 98

Amendment 30 #

Heidi HAUTALA

Recital L

L. whereas the conclusions of successive reviews of the Compact in 2014, 2015 and 2016 are reporting tangible improvements achieved by the Bangladeshi authorities, and are recognizing the contribution of the Compact in improving health and safety in factories and working conditions in the RMG industry; whereas progress relating to worker’s rights has ~~been more challenging an~~instead witnessed no substantial progress ~~has been witnessed for the last months in this area~~; whereas, according to the ILO, the failure to meaningfully amend and implement the Bangladesh Labour Act of 2006 results in severe obstacles to exercise the right of freedom of association and in registering trade unions, especially in the RMG sector; whereas workers in Export Processing Zones have been denied the right to join trade unions;

Amendment 31 #

Lola SÁNCHEZ CALDENTEY, Stelios KOULOGLOU, Anne-Marie MINEUR, Eleonora FORENZA, Helmut SCHOLZ

Recital L

L. whereas the conclusions of successive reviews of the Compact in 2014, 2015 and 2016 ~~are reporting tangible improvements achieved by the Bangladeshi authorities, and are~~ recogniz~~ing~~e the contribution of the Compact in improving health and safety in factories ~~and working conditions~~ in the RMG industry; whereas progress relating to worker’s rights has been more challenging and no substantial progress has been witnessed for the last months in this area;

Amendment 32 #

Agnes JONGERIUS, David MARTIN, Jude KIRTON-DARLING, Alessia Maria MOSCA, Eric ANDRIEU, Maria ARENA, Emmanuel MAUREL, Karoline GRASWANDER-HAINZ

Recital L

L. whereas the conclusions of successive reviews of the Compact in 2014, 2015 and 2016 are reporting tangible improvements achieved by the Bangladeshi authorities in some areas, and are recognizing the contribution of the Compact in moderately improving health and safety in factories and working conditions in the RMG industry; whereas progress relating to worker’'s rights has been more challenging and no ~~substantial~~ progress has been witnessed for the last ~~month~~years in this area;

Amendment 33 #

Lola SÁNCHEZ CALDENTEY, Stelios KOULOGLOU, Anne-Marie MINEUR, Eleonora FORENZA, Helmut SCHOLZ

Recital L a (new)

L a. Whereas the ILO has indicated that Bangladesh has made no tangible progress in amending the Bangladesh Labour Act of 2006 and adopted Implementing Rules which create obstacles to the exercise of freedom of association; whereas workers in the garment sector continue to face serious obstacles in registering trade unions; whereas workers have been dismissed for trade union activity without recourse and without sanction of any kind for the employer; whereas workers have been repeatedly subjected to acts of violence, including murder, for exercising trade union activities; and whereas workers in Export Processing Zones have been denied the right to join trade unions;

Amendment 34 #

Agnes JONGERIUS, David MARTIN, Jude KIRTON-DARLING, Alessia Maria MOSCA, Eric ANDRIEU, Maria ARENA, Emmanuel MAUREL, Karoline GRASWANDER-HAINZ

Recital M a (new)

M a. whereas global trade unions (ETUC, ITUC, Uni Global Union, IndustriAll) have been calling for the European Commission to carry out a GSP investigation due to, as the unions state: 'the government [of Bangladesh] has demonstrated beyond any doubt that continued dialogue mechanisms have failed and will do little if anything to improve conditions of the more than 4 million garment workers and the many millions more in other sectors'

Amendment 35 #

Agnes JONGERIUS

Recital M b (new)

M b. whereas, despite the various commitments undertaken by the EU, the Government of Bangladesh, international organizations, and private operators, labour and human rights' protection in the country continues to fall well short of international standards;

Amendment 36 #

Lola SÁNCHEZ CALDENTEY, Stelios KOULOGLOU, Anne-Marie MINEUR, Eleonora FORENZA, Helmut SCHOLZ

Paragraph 1

1. Stresses that despite the ~~impressive track record on growth and develop~~growth experimented in recent years, Bangladesh needs to urgently do sizable efforts ~~over the long run~~ in order to achieve sustainable and more inclusive economic growth; underlines that structural reforms leading to increase of productivity, further diversification of exports , social justice, workers' rights, environmental protectionand fight against corruption would be essential in this sense;

Amendment 37 #

Heidi HAUTALA

Paragraph 1

1. Stresses that despite the impressive track record on growth and development in recent years, Bangladesh needs to d~~o sizable efforts over the long run in order to achiev~~ecisively increase efforts towards a more sustainable and more inclusive economic growth; underlines that structural reforms leading to increase of productivity, further diversification of exports and fight against corruption would be essential in this sense;

Amendment 38 #

Lola SÁNCHEZ CALDENTEY, Stelios KOULOGLOU, Anne-Marie MINEUR, Eleonora FORENZA, Helmut SCHOLZ

Paragraph 2

2. Calls on the Government of Bangladesh (GOB) ~~to enhance its level of engagement~~ to improve safety and working conditions and protect workers’ rights in garment sector as a matter of highest priority, to ~~enhance~~ implementat~~ion of~~ legislation on building and factory safety; to continue to raise government funding for labour inspectorate, to continue to recruit and to train more factory inspectors, to provide for conditions to lower the turnover of labour inspectors, to set-up an annual work plan for follow-up inspections of factories subject to remediation and to enlarge building and factory inspections to other sectors;

Amendment 39 #

Lola SÁNCHEZ CALDENTEY, Stelios KOULOGLOU, Anne-Marie MINEUR, Eleonora FORENZA, Helmut SCHOLZ

Paragraph 4 a (new)

4 a. urges the Government of Bangladesh to instate immediately the minimum wage board and institute a shorter frequency of wage review;

Amendment 4 #

Agnes JONGERIUS, David MARTIN, Jude KIRTON-DARLING, Alessia Maria MOSCA, Eric ANDRIEU, Emmanuel MAUREL, Karoline GRASWANDER-HAINZ, Maria ARENA

Citation 15 b (new)

- having regard for the complaint filed in 2017 with the ILO Committee on Freedom of Association concerning the government's crackdown on garment workers in Ashulia in December 2016 and the complaint filed with the UN special mandates concerning the crackdown in Ashulia

Amendment 40 #

Heidi HAUTALA

Paragraph 4 a (new)

4 a. Urges the GOB to institute a wage review every two years.

Amendment 41 #

Heidi HAUTALA

Paragraph 5

5. ~~Calls on~~Urges the international brands/retailers and Bangladeshi private sector to ~~stay engaged in order~~respect and effectively implement the labour law, to impro~~mote over the long run~~ve responsible business practices and decent working conditions for Bangladeshi garment workers, and to facilitate transparent and coordinated mechanisms between relevant initiatives; encourages the continuation of the work of the global retailers and brands to adopt a unified code of conduct for factory audit in Bangladesh;

Amendment 42 #

Lola SÁNCHEZ CALDENTEY, Stelios KOULOGLOU, Anne-Marie MINEUR, Eleonora FORENZA, Helmut SCHOLZ

Paragraph 5

5. Calls on the international brands/retailers and Bangladeshi private sector to ~~stay engaged in order to promote over the long run~~respect the labor laws and to promote responsible business practices ~~and~~including decent working conditions for Bangladeshi garment workers and facilitate transparent ~~and coordinated mechanisms between relevant initiative~~information on which factories are producing the goods; encourages the continuation of the work of the global retailers and brands to adopt a unified code of conduct for factory audit in Bangladesh;

Amendment 43 #

Fernando RUAS

Paragraph 5

5. Calls on the international brands/retailers and Bangladeshi private sector to stay engaged in order to implement CSR measures and promote over the long run responsible business practices and decent working conditions for Bangladeshi garment workers and facilitate transparent and coordinated mechanisms between relevant initiatives; encourages the continuation of the work of the global retailers and brands to adopt a unified code of conduct for factory audit in Bangladesh;

Amendment 44 #

Fernando RUAS

Paragraph 6

6. Stresses the achievements of the engagement of the private business sector in cooperation with the Bangladesh government and international organisations in Bangladesh through the “Accord on Fire and Building Safety”; points out however that despite marking progress on fire and building safety, the Accord still remains concerned with the slow pace of completing remediation on critical safety issues; calls on parties of the “Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh” to prolong their engagement through the “Accord” for another period of five years before the current agreement comes to end on 12 May 2018; invites the government of Bangladesh as well as the Bangladeshi business sector to acknowledge the usefulness of the commitment of retailers in Bangladesh through the Accord and support the extension of their mandate in Bangladesh;

Amendment 45 #

Lola SÁNCHEZ CALDENTEY, Stelios KOULOGLOU, Eleonora FORENZA, Helmut SCHOLZ

Paragraph 6 a (new)

6 a. calls for the Commission to extend corporate social responsibility through binding legislation on due diligence obligations to ensure that EU companies fulfil their obligation to respect both human rights and the highest social and environmental standards;

Amendment 46 #

Heidi HAUTALA

Paragraph 8

8. Supports the follow-up activities of the Bangladesh Sustainability Compact and the Commission and the EEAS enhanced dialogue on labour and human rights with Bangladesh to achieve ~~better~~ compliance with the principles of the conventions listed in the GSP regulation; considers that an investigation under the GSP mechanism might be necessary in the case that the May 18 Compact meeting in Dhaka should have failed in indicating a meaningful way towards guaranteeing compliance with the GSP listed conventions;

Amendment 47 #

Lola SÁNCHEZ CALDENTEY, Stelios KOULOGLOU, Anne-Marie MINEUR, Eleonora FORENZA, Helmut SCHOLZ

Paragraph 8 a (new)

8 a. Calls on the EU to initiate an investigation under the GSP mechanism as a way to ensure meaningful progress on workers’ rights, safety and working conditions, building and factory safety and labour inspections; calls on the EU to commence similar procedures regarding the amendment of 2013 Labour Act to address freedom of association and collective bargaining, promotion of social dialogue, non-arbitrary registration of trade unions, and effective investigation and prosecution of alleged anti-union discrimination, as well as the safeguard of labour legislative frameworks and their full compliance with international standards such as ILO conventions 87 and 89;

Amendment 48 #

Agnes JONGERIUS, Maria ARENA, Karoline GRASWANDER-HAINZ

Paragraph 9

9. Supports the Commission's examination of a possible EU-wide initiative on the garment sector~~-voluntary initiatives and strict codes of conduct shall be its key principles; stresses furthermore that coordination, s~~; reiterates its call on the Commission to propose binding legislation on due diligence obligations for supply charings in~~formation and exchange of best practices may contribute to increasing efficiency of private and public value chain initiatives and achieve positive results on sustainable development;~~ the garment sector so as to ensure that the EU and its trading partners and operators fulfil their obligations to respect both human rights and the highest social and environmental standards.

Amendment 49 #

Lola SÁNCHEZ CALDENTEY, Stelios KOULOGLOU, Eleonora FORENZA, Helmut SCHOLZ

Paragraph 9

9. Supports the Commission's examination of a possible EU-wide initiative on the garment sector~~-voluntary initiatives and strict codes of c~~; reminds the European Parliament's call on the Commission to go beyond the presentation of a Staff Working Document and to propose binding legislation on du~~ct shall be its key principles~~e diligence obligations for supply chains in the garment sector; stresses furthermore that coordination, sharing information and exchange of best practices may contribute to increasing efficiency of private and public value chain initiatives and achieve positive results on sustainable development;

Amendment 5 #

Lola SÁNCHEZ CALDENTEY, Eleonora FORENZA, Anne-Marie MINEUR, Stelios KOULOGLOU, Helmut SCHOLZ

Citation 16

— having regard to special paragraph in the ILO Committee on Application of Standards of the ILO Conference of 2016, the ILO High Level Tripartite Mission Report and the 2017 observations of the ILO Committee of Experts on the Application of Conventions and Recommendations concerning Conventions 87 and 98 - all which demonstrate convincingly the failure of the government to respect the right to freedom of association and to bargain collectively;

Amendment 50 #

Tokia SAÏFI, Fernando RUAS

Paragraph 9

9. Supports the Commission's examination of a possible EU-wide initiative on the garment sector-voluntary initiatives and strict codes of conduct shall be its key principles; notes the Commission staff working document of 24 April 2017, entitled 'Sustainable garment value chains through EU development action', and calls once again on the Commission not to confine itself to simply presenting a working document; stresses furthermore that coordination, sharing information and exchange of best practices may contribute to increasing efficiency of private and public value chain initiatives and achieve positive results on sustainable development;

Amendment 51 #

Lola SÁNCHEZ CALDENTEY, Stelios KOULOGLOU, Anne-Marie MINEUR, Eleonora FORENZA

Paragraph 9

Amendment 52 #

Fernando RUAS

Paragraph 9

9. Supports the Commission's examination of a possible EU-wide initiative on the garment sector-voluntary initiatives and strict codes of conduct shall be its key principles; stresses furthermore that coordination, sharing information ~~and~~, exchange of best practices and the commitment of governments to set the appropriate framework conditions may contribute to increasing efficiency of private and public value chain initiatives and achieve positive results on sustainable development; underlines the importance of raising awareness amongst consumers to increase transparency as well as to support the efforts for better labour and environmental standards, product safety and sustainable consumption;

Amendment 53 #

Heidi HAUTALA

Paragraph 9

9. Supports the Commission's examination of a possible EU-wide initiative on the garment sector~~-voluntary initiatives and strict codes of conduct shall be its key principles~~; stresses furthermore that coordination, sharing information and exchange of best practices may contribute to increasing efficiency of private and public value chain initiatives and achieve positive results on sustainable development;

Amendment 54 #

Tokia SAÏFI, Fernando RUAS

Paragraph 9 a (new)

9a. Takes the view that the Bangladesh Sustainability Compact, in which the EU is a key player, could serve as a paradigm for the establishment of similar partnerships with third countries; calls on the EU to continue and step up its international cooperation with organisations such as the ILO, the OECD and the United Nations in the area of sustainable development and corporate social responsability;

Amendment 55 #

Paragraph 9 a (new)

9 a. Supports the Commission's stated intent to launch an official GSP investigation when by May 18 2017 if no 'sufficient substantial and meaningful progress together with a sound and time- bound strategy' is put in place by the GOB;

Amendment 56 #

Agnes JONGERIUS, David MARTIN, Jude KIRTON-DARLING, Alessia Maria MOSCA, Eric ANDRIEU, Maria ARENA, Emmanuel MAUREL, Karoline GRASWANDER-HAINZ

Paragraph 9 a (new)

9 a. Supports the Commission's stated intent to launch an official GSP investigation when by May 18 2017 if no tangible progress is put in place by the GOB;

Amendment 57 #

Lola SÁNCHEZ CALDENTEY, Stelios KOULOGLOU, Eleonora FORENZA, Anne-Marie MINEUR, Helmut SCHOLZ

Paragraph 9 a (new)

9 a. supports the efforts of the UN open ended working group with the aim of elaborating a binding UN Treaty on business and human rights; calls upon the Commission and Member States to actively engage in this negotiations;

Amendment 58 #

Agnes JONGERIUS, David MARTIN, Jude KIRTON-DARLING, Alessia Maria MOSCA, Eric ANDRIEU, Maria ARENA, Emmanuel MAUREL, Karoline GRASWANDER-HAINZ

Paragraph 9 b (new)

9 b. Calls on the European Commission to use the leverage granted by the future GSP+ negotiations with Bangladesh to the fullest extend and firmly hold the country to the international obligations it has to meet before being considered for GSP+;

Amendment 59 #

Paragraph 9 b (new)

Amendment 6 #

Lola SÁNCHEZ CALDENTEY, Stelios KOULOGLOU, Anne-Marie MINEUR, Eleonora FORENZA, Helmut SCHOLZ

Citation 16 a (new)

Amendment 60 #

Agnes JONGERIUS, David MARTIN, Jude KIRTON-DARLING, Alessia Maria MOSCA, Eric ANDRIEU, Maria ARENA, Emmanuel MAUREL, Karoline GRASWANDER-HAINZ

Paragraph 9 c (new)

9 c. Underlines that failure to improve the security situation and systematically confront the threats posed by extremists in Bangladesh will have a direct effect on investment in the country, which will ultimately hold back long term development and the lives of ordinary people.

Amendment 61 #

Paragraph 9 c (new)

Amendment 62 #

Lola SÁNCHEZ CALDENTEY, Stelios KOULOGLOU, Eleonora FORENZA, Helmut SCHOLZ

Paragraph 10

10. Stresses that the high-quality garment sector is essential for Bangladeshi economic and social development, that its expansion has allowed many workers, especially women, to move from informal economy to formal economy; wais deeply concerns against initiatives that could lead to disengagement of EU and other businesses from Bangladesh which would be damaging not only for their reputation but most importantly for future development perspectives of the countrybout the conditions of garment workers in Bangladesh; shares the concern of the International Trade Union Confederation; Notes with concern how existing voluntary initiatives for garment sector´s global supply chain sustainability have fallen short to effectively address human rights and labour rights related issues in the garment sector; Calls, therefore, on the Commission to present a legislative proposal on binding due diligence obligations for supply chains in the garment sector;

Amendment 7 #

Fernando RUAS

Citation 21 a (new)

- having regard to the Accord Quarterly Aggregate Report on remediation progress at RMG factories covered by the Accord of 31 October 2016,

Amendment 8 #

Lola SÁNCHEZ CALDENTEY, Stelios KOULOGLOU, Eleonora FORENZA, Anne-Marie MINEUR

Recital A

A. whereas Bangladesh has undergone remarkable development in recent years, the country’s GDP is predicted to grow annually at an average of 6.6 % between 2013 and 2018, while between 2010 and 2013, total trade grew on average 19% per year, whereas in the Human Development Index (HDI) Bangladesh has consistently moved up the ranks since the 1980s;deleted

Amendment 9 #

Agnes JONGERIUS, Alessia Maria MOSCA

Recital C

C. whereas the ready-made industry (RMG) is currently employing 4.2 million people in as many as 5000 factories and indirectly supports the livelihoods of as many as 40 million people – -about a quarter of Bangladesh’'s population; whereas the RMG industry has importantly contributed to poverty reduction and to empowerment of women; whereas women, mostly from rural areas, represent 80% of the RMG sector in Bangladesh; whereas however 80% of workers are still employed in the informal sector; whereas the complex nature of the garment supply chain and its low level of transparency facilitate human rights violations and increase exploitation;

source: 604.648

History

(these mark the time of scraping, not the official date of the change)

2019-07-06Show (11) Changes | Timetravel

activities	date: 2017-05-17T00:00:00 docs: url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?secondRef=TOC&language=EN&reference=20170517&type=CRE type: Debate in Parliament title: Debate in Parliament body: EP type: Debate in Parliament date: 2017-06-14T00:00:00 docs: url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=TA&language=EN&reference=P8-TA-2017-0265 type: Decision by Parliament, 1st reading/single reading title: T8-0265/2017 body: EP type: Decision by Parliament, 1st reading/single reading
committees/0	type Responsible Committee body EP committee_full International Trade committee INTA associated False date 2017-02-27T00:00:00 rapporteur name: KARIM Sajjad group: European Conservatives and Reformists abbr: ECR shadows name: RUAS Fernando group: European People's Party (Christian Democrats) abbr: PPE name: JONGERIUS Agnes group: Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats abbr: S&D name: TREMOSA I BALCELLS Ramon group: Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe abbr: ALDE name: SÁNCHEZ CALDENTEY Lola group: European United Left - Nordic Green Left abbr: GUE/NGL name: HAUTALA Heidi group: Greens/European Free Alliance abbr: Verts/ALE name: BORRELLI David group: Europe of Freedom and Direct Democracy abbr: EFDD
committees/0	body EP shadows group: EPP name: RUAS Fernando group: S&D name: JONGERIUS Agnes group: ALDE name: TREMOSA I BALCELLS Ramon group: GUE/NGL name: SÁNCHEZ CALDENTEY Lola group: Verts/ALE name: HAUTALA Heidi group: EFD name: BORRELLI David responsible True committee INTA date 2017-02-27T00:00:00 committee_full International Trade rapporteur group: ECR name: KARIM Sajjad
docs	date: 2017-05-08T00:00:00 docs: url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=COMPARL&mode=XML&language=EN&reference=PE604.648 title: PE604.648 type: Amendments tabled in committee body: EP date: 2017-05-15T00:00:00 docs: title: B8-0217/2017 type: Oral question/interpellation by Parliament body: EP date: 2017-06-12T00:00:00 docs: url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=MOTION&reference=B8-2017-0396&language=EN title: B8-0396/2017 type: Motion for a resolution body: EP date: 2017-11-20T00:00:00 docs: url: /oeil/spdoc.do?i=29960&j=0&l=en title: SP(2017)574 type: Commission response to text adopted in plenary
events	date: 2017-05-17T00:00:00 type: Debate in Parliament body: EP docs: url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?secondRef=TOC&language=EN&reference=20170517&type=CRE title: Debate in Parliament date: 2017-06-14T00:00:00 type: Results of vote in Parliament body: EP docs: url: https://oeil.secure.europarl.europa.eu/oeil/popups/sda.do?id=29960&l=en title: Results of vote in Parliament date: 2017-06-14T00:00:00 type: Decision by Parliament, 1st reading/single reading body: EP docs: url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=TA&language=EN&reference=P8-TA-2017-0265 title: T8-0265/2017 summary: The European Parliament adopted a resolution tabled by the Committee on International Trade on the state of play of the implementation of the Sustainability Compact in Bangladesh. Members stated that the high-quality garment sector is essential for economic and social development in Bangladesh . Its expansion has allowed large numbers of workers, especially women, to move from the informal to the formal economy. The sector currently employs 4.2 million people in as many as 5 000 factories and indirectly supports the livelihoods of as many as 40 million people – about a quarter of Bangladesh’s population. Conclusions of the successive reviews of the Compact following the Rana Plaza disaster showed that tangible improvements were achieved by the Bangladeshi authorities in some areas. Although the Compact has led to a slight improvement in health and safety in factories and working conditions in the garment sector, there has been no substantial progress in the area of workers' rights in recent years. Responsible business in Bangladesh : Parliament stated that Bangladesh needs to make sizeable efforts in the long run in order to achieve sustainable and more inclusive economic growth. Structural reforms leading to increased productivity, further diversification of exports, social justice, workers’ rights, environmental protection and fighting corruption would be essential in this sense. The Government of Bangladesh is called upon to: enhance its level of engagement as regards improving safety and working conditions and workers’ rights in the garment sector and enhance the implementation of the legislation on building and factory safety; guarantee a legislative framework for labour matters that is in full conformity with international standards , notably in full compliance with ILO Conventions 87 and 98 on freedom of association and collective bargaining, and that is effectively implemented; pursue remediation work for all export-oriented ready-made garment factories and to ensure that repairs and other inspection follow-ups are undertaken and transparently monitored by the relevant public authorities, recognising the usefulness of the funds mobilised by donors and the importance of effective financial support; immediately reconvene the minimum wage board and institute a shorter frequency of wage review. Contribution of private-sector initiatives : Parliament called on the international brands and retailers and the Bangladeshi private sector to stay engaged in order to respect the labour laws and implement corporate social responsibility measures, and to improve their record as regards responsible business practices, including ensuring decent working conditions for Bangladeshi garment workers. Members also called on the parties to the Bangladesh Accord on Fire and Building Safety to prolong their engagement by means of it for another period of five years, before the current agreement comes to an end on 12 May 2018. The EU and the international community - shared responsibility : Members expressed their support for follow-up activities to the Bangladesh Sustainability Compact and the enhanced dialogue of the Commission and the EEAS with Bangladesh on labour and human rights. Parliament supported the Commission’s examination of a possible EU-wide initiative on the garment sector , with voluntary initiatives and strict codes of conduct as its key principles. It also underlined the importance of raising awareness among consumers so as to increase transparency, as well as supporting the efforts for better labour and environmental standards, product safety and sustainable consumption. The Bangladesh Sustainability Compact, in which the EU is a key player, could serve as a paradigm for the establishment of similar partnerships with third countries. The resolution warned against initiatives that could lead to the disengagement of EU and other businesses from Bangladesh and would be damaging not only for the country’s reputation but, most importantly, for its future development prospect. date: 2017-06-14T00:00:00 type: End of procedure in Parliament body: EP
links
other
procedure/dossier_of_the_committee	Old INTA/8/09599 New INTA/8/09599
procedure/legal_basis/0	Rules of Procedure EP 136-p5
procedure/legal_basis/0	Rules of Procedure of the European Parliament EP 128-p5
procedure/subject	Old 6.20.03 Bilateral economic and trade agreements and relations New 6.20.03 Bilateral economic and trade agreements and relations

2017-06-17Show (4) Changes | Timetravel

activities/1/docs	url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=TA&language=EN&reference=P8-TA-2017-0265 type: Decision by Parliament, 1st reading/single reading title: T8-0265/2017
activities/1/type	Old Vote in plenary scheduled New Decision by Parliament, 1st reading/single reading
procedure/stage_reached	Old Awaiting Parliament 1st reading / single reading / budget 1st stage New Procedure completed
procedure/title	Old State of play of the implementation of the sustainability compact in Bangladesh New Resolution on the state of play of the implementation of the sustainability compact in Bangladesh

2017-06-01Show (1) Changes | Timetravel

activities/1

date: 2017-06-14T00:00:00

body: EP

type: Vote in plenary scheduled

2017-05-31Show (1) Changes | Timetravel

committees/0/shadows

group: EPP name: RUAS Fernando
group: S&D name: JONGERIUS Agnes
group: ALDE name: TREMOSA I BALCELLS Ramon
group: GUE/NGL name: SÁNCHEZ CALDENTEY Lola
group: Verts/ALE name: HAUTALA Heidi
group: EFD name: BORRELLI David

2017-05-20Show (1) Changes | Timetravel

activities/0

date: 2017-05-17T00:00:00

docs: url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?secondRef=TOC&language=EN&reference=20170517&type=CRE type: Debate in Parliament title: Debate in Parliament

body: EP

type: Debate in Parliament

2017-05-19Show (1) Changes | Timetravel

activities/0

date: 2017-05-17T00:00:00

body: EP

type: Debate in plenary scheduled

2017-05-16Show (1) Changes | Timetravel

activities/1

date: 2017-05-18T00:00:00

body: EP

type: Vote in plenary scheduled

2017-05-13Show (2) Changes | Timetravel

activities/0/date	Old 2017-05-16T00:00:00 New 2017-05-17T00:00:00
activities/1	date 2017-05-18T00:00:00 body EP type Vote in plenary scheduled

2017-04-28Show (5) Changes

activities	date: 2017-05-16T00:00:00 body: EP type: Debate in plenary scheduled
committees	body: EP responsible: True committee: INTA date: 2017-02-27T00:00:00 committee_full: International Trade rapporteur: group: ECR name: KARIM Sajjad
links
other
procedure	dossier_of_the_committee INTA/8/09599 geographical_area Bangladesh reference 2017/2636(RSP) title State of play of the implementation of the sustainability compact in Bangladesh legal_basis Rules of Procedure of the European Parliament EP 128-p5 stage_reached Awaiting Parliament 1st reading / single reading / budget 1st stage subtype Debate or resolution on oral question/interpellation type RSP - Resolutions on topical subjects subject 6.20.03 Bilateral economic and trade agreements and relations

Activites

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