SPECIAL
SHOPFLOOR MANDATE TRADE UNION
The voice of
MANDATE
Rescuers scramble through the debris at the collapsed Rana Plaza building in a desperate bid to locate survivors
Picture: Qamrul Anam Coordinator, Textile & RMG, IBC
Uni Global backs Fair Shop drive
lives by giving them access to union memberMANDATE’S Fair Shop campaign has successship and ensuring they can benefit from colfully encouraged Ireland’s 800,000 trade lective bargaining. unionists and consumers to shop with retailUNI Global Union’s Head of Commerce, ers who respect decent work. Alke Boessiger, points out that What is important is that a the newly-established Accord Fair Shop employer recognises on Fire and Building Safety in an employee’s right to join a Bangladesh is another example union and afford workers repreof the important role of unions sentative’s full collective barin devising innovative ways of gaining rights. engaging companies. Many of Ireland’s leading reShe told Shopfloor: “50 leadtailers are listed as Fair Shops ing multinational companies because they realise their cushave signed the Accord in the tomers now expect them to act wake of the Rana Plaza tragedy. ethically, with their own work“The Accord and Fair Shop force and all along the supplyshare the same guiding princichain. ple: workers’ rights are part of And UNI Global Union has human rights and workers congratulated Mandate on this must be treated fairly. successful initiative which is “Safe working conditions, the very much in tune with UNI’s Alke Boessiger: ‘innovative’ right to join a union and collecdrive for global framework tive bargaining are inalienable rights. UNI apagreements with multinationals. plauds Mandate for the work they have done To date, UNI has signed 48 agreements and with Fair Shop and wishes the initiative every they provide companies with a set of agreed success in the future.” standards on workers’ rights to apply across UNI is also encouraging all its retail affilitheir international networks. ates to consider introducing a similar scheme Fair Shop and UNI’s global framework to Fair Shop in their own countries. agreements are all about improving workers’ July 2013
y SHOPFLOOR
Picture: European Parliament (CC)
Designed and text edited by BRAZIER MEDIA • braziermedia@btinternet.com
CAMPAIGN Y B D E K C A B IS www.fairshop.ie
www.impact.ie
All proceeds from this ad donated to the Clean Clothes Campaign in aid of Bangladesh Clothing Workers’ Fund
7