Wearing good clothes should not mean the people who made them can’t receive fair pay for their work.
The majority of textile and garment workers cannot afford to live in decent housing, eat healthy food or go to the doctor. They even struggle to send their kids to school.
There’s good news: we can all do something to fix this problem. Human Rights Watch is supporting an urgent and timely campaign led by European citizens, demanding living wages for workers in the garment industry:
“For too long, fashion brands have promised to do the right thing. They haven’t. We cannot wait for voluntary measures from individual brands. The industry needs to be regulated and held accountable.”
The campaign goal? To get 1 million European Union passport holders to sign a petition demanding living wage legislation across the garment, textile, and footwear sector by July 19.
The 1 million signatures from EU citizens will merit an official response and discussion on requiring companies to conduct living wage due diligence in their supply chains. The proposed legislation requires all brands and retailers selling products in the European Union to conduct this due diligence. Millions of workers and their families around the world could benefit from new regulation.
You can find more information about the #GoodClothesFairPay campaign here, watch the short campaign video, and sign the petition. Are you not an EU citizen? You can still do your bit, by spreading the word!
A living wage is not a luxury, it is a fundamental human right.