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It is important to find a bargainable and appropriately formulated demand in the context of a global production chain that would motivate a strategic collective organizing for.
The AFW strategy in this campaign is based on certain objective conditions described below.
However, it is replicable for other industries, in other regions, if these objective conditions apply.
In short, this is a trade union strategy in the context of the global supply chain.
Fact 1:
Now that the garment industry has completed its re-structuring and has bottomed out in Asia , it is important to take a strategic look at this region. Out of the many Asian countries, China , India , Bangladesh , Sri Lanka , Indonesia , and Cambodia can be said to cover the bulk of the garment production. This workforce constitutes a numerically strong regional collectivity.
Fact 2:
Research on wages of garment workers in these countries show that wage levels of workers in these countries are more or less comparable. So, the relatively uniform wages provide a regional bargaining opportunity. A unified regional strategy would also avoid the danger of jobs moving within these countries because of a wage demand in any one country.
Fact 3:
In the key Asian countries of production, labour laws, definitions of statutory wages and governmental regulations differ quite widely. However, Tier 1 workers are paid the high end of the wages in the production chain of a particular country. So, in order to ensure that workers below Tier 1 get minimum wages, Tier 1 workers must get above minimum wage.
Fact 4:
Retail companies, as they become consolidated into fewer big box multinationals, need larger volume of products and are increasingly turning to large, stable, and advanced manufacturers. As a result, multinational buyers are beginning to stabilize their relations with the Tier 1 companies, resulting in a more stable workplace.
Demand:
A regional and differentiated wage formulation demand that would set the high end for garment industry manufacturing in Asia . The proposed demand is an Asia Floor Wage for Asian Tier 1 garment workers in conjunction with fair pricing that would make Asia Floor Wage possible.
The formulation of such a regional wage demand would need to be developed in the context of the global supply chain, and national conditions of the key Asian countries.
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