Introduction

“After the Dindigul Agreement came into being, the sense of dread and fear –which I used to have before I left for the factory every day morning – is no longer there.

I feel lighter in my mind and I feel like I want to work for this company. I look forward to work – which is something I have not felt in my 5 years in this industry.”

— Malar, a woman worker in the cutting department of Eastman Exports (Dindigul) garment unit

In April 2022, the Indian women- and Dalit-worker-led Tamil Nadu Textile and Common Labour Union (TTCU) signed a historic agreement with clothing and textile manufacturer Eastman Exports to end gender-based violence and harassment (GBVH) at Eastman factories in Dindigul, in the southern state of Tamil Nadu in India.

At the same time, TTCU, Asia Floor Wage Alliance (AFWA), and Global Labor Justice-International Labor Rights Forum (GLJ-ILRF), also signed a legally binding agreement,1 subject to arbitration, with multinational fashion company H&M, that acknowledges the role of all actors in the supply chain to work together to eradicate GBVH.

US companies Gap Inc.2 and PVH Corp.,3 which did not source from the Dindigul factories covered under the Agreement, but which have a business relationship with Eastman Exports also signed similar agreements later in 2022.

The Agreements with brand signatories require the brands to support and enforce the TTCUEastman Exports agreement. Under the terms of that Agreement, if Eastman Exports violates its commitments, brand signatories are obligated to impose business consequences on Eastman Exports until Eastman comes into compliance.

These interlocking contracts are known together as the The Dindigul Agreement to End Gender-Based Violence and Harassment - an “enforceable brand agreement” (EBA) in which multinational companies legally commit to labor and allies to use their supply chain relationships to support a worker- or union-led program at certain factories or worksites.

The Dindigul Agreement is the first EBA in India, where clothing manufacturing is the second largest employer for women after agriculture. The Agreement is also the first EBA in Asia, with a specific focus on addressing gender and caste discrimination and violence.

The Dindigul Agreement includes the following signatories:

• Union — Tamil Nadu Textile and Common Labour Union (TTCU)

• Supplier — Eastman Exports Global Clothing Pvt. Ltd. (Eastman Exports)

• Fashion brands — H&M Group (H&M, which owns H&M, COS, Arket, Monki, & Other Stories), Gap Inc., and PVH Corp. (including Calvin Klein and Tommy Hilfiger)

• Regional and US allies — Asia Floor Wage Alliance (AFWA) and Global Labor Justice-International Labor Rights Forum (GLJ-ILRF)