GLOBAL – More than 90 organisations from around the world, including worker unions and women’s empowerment groups, have rallied behind India’s Tamil Nadu Textile and Common Labour Union (TTCU) as it calls on garment brands to sign a binding agreement to end gender-based violence.
It comes after TTCU member Jeyasre Kathiravel was allegedly raped and murdered by her supervisor at a site owned by Eastman Exports last month, which reportedly supplies H&M, PVH Corp, and Gap.
“After decades of various voluntary initiatives amongst brands, working conditions, freedom of association and wages in the garment industry remain stagnant,” said Bandana Pattanaik, of the Global Alliance Against Traffic in Women. “We stand in solidarity with TTCU as they demand a legally binding enforceable agreement with brands and their supplier Eastman Exports to end systemic gender-based violence.”
