IndustriALL Global Union IndustriALL Global Union

“Talking Threads”

A podcast about the global apparel industry, told by the workers employed within the sector and the people working to make the industry more responsible and ethical for the future. Brought to you by IndustriALL global union.

This podcast is all about putting grassroots stories first, giving garment workers - especially women - a platform to have their voices heard. It is a union production, made by women, and features real sounds captured from the unionised factories that IndustriALL represents.

Episode 1:  “The women behind the label”  8 March 2022

On International Women’s Day we hear from women garment workers about the issues they face on the factory floor, and look at how IndustriALL’s campaign aims to achieve better social protections for workers in the industry.

This first episode is dedicated to all the women - around 63 million of them - that work in the garment sector.

Contributors:

● Garment workers Sulata* and Muniya* (not their real names) from near Dhaka in Bangladesh

● Evelyn Astor, Adviser on economic and social policy, International Trades Union Confederation (ITUC)

● Christina Hajagos-Clausen, Director for the textile, garment, leather and shoes sector at IndustriALL global union

● Ruwan Subasinghe, Legal Director, International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF)

● Elizabeth Umlas, IndustriALL senior advisor on capital strategies

● Petra Brännmark, Communications Director at IndustriALL global union

Credits:

● Podcast produced by: CORA Campaign Communications 

● Music by: Nicolas Aguirre

● With thanks to Srabani Nahar, Md Hasan Tareq, Thilagam Ramalingam and Nupur Goswami

Links:

To find out more about some of the issues covered in this podcast check out these links:

● A new supply chain industrial relations model for the textile and garment industry

● Special report: Changing the balance of power in the textile and garment industry 

● International accord

● ACT Initiative - a global commitment to living wages

● ITUC report: Investments in social protection and their impacts on economic growth

● OECD Forum on Due Diligence in the Garment and Footwear Sector

● Video: A new supply chain industrial relations model for the textile and garment industry: A side session panel at the OECD Garment Forum.

● International Bargaining Forum (IBF)

● Solidarity Center: Fact sheet on workers, rights and working conditions in the global garment and textile industries

A side session panel at the OECD Garment Forum.  

Speakers include Jason Judd, ILR School/Cornell University, Ruwan  Subasinghe, International Transport Federation, Kalpona Akter, BGIWF,  member of IndustriALL executive committee, and Elizabeth Umlas,  IndustriALL senior advisor on capital strategies.  #GarmentWorkersNeedUnions

We talk about green technology, and how it can help us to recover from the coronavirus recession, and provide quality, sustainable jobs. Green tech can transform our economy, creating a zero waste, circular system  that addresses climate change while looking after the needs of workers and communities.

From IndustriALL Global Union.