Today marks the launch of the European Citizens’ Initiative for living wages. The campaign is titled Quality Clothes, Fair Pay and was started by international organizations including the Clean Clothes Campaign (CCC), Fashion Revolution, Fair Wear, and Fair Trade. In Croatia, Novi sindikat will actively participate as part of the CCC and the Coalition for a Living Wage, alongside other regional unions and civil society organizations (Regional Industrial Union, Independent Union of Croatian Workers, CMS, CESI, House of Human Rights, Pariter, Brid, Fashion Revolution Croatia).
The goal of the campaign is to collect one million signatures from European citizens who support legislation that would ensure living wages for workers in the garment industry. With the support of a broad coalition, this is Europe’s largest campaign for living wages and the strongest call yet to pass legislation on this topic.
Organizations are calling on fashion brands and retailers to establish, implement, monitor, and publicly disclose a plan to close the gap between actual wages and an estimated living wage. According to calculations from 2018, the living wage for Croatia is 10,452 HRK.
Additionally, brands are required to identify high-risk groups in their supply chains, such as women and migrant workers, who are particularly affected by low wages. The proposed law includes specific measures regarding pricing, costs, and general production practices for fashion brands. This proposal would apply to all brands and retailers trading within the European Union, regardless of where they are based.
The Clean Clothes Campaign is a key partner in this initiative and helped draft the bill.
Tibbe Smith Larsen, CCC’s European regional coordinator, stated that fashion brands still too easily avoid their responsibility to ensure workers live with dignity. She noted that while numerous voluntary initiatives claim to work toward living wages, textile workers remain poor with extremely low purchasing power. Because voluntary measures have not resulted in significant improvements, binding legislation and strong independent unions are necessary to achieve the goal of living wages.
Mario Iveković, president of Novi sindikat, emphasized that the legislation required through this campaign is essential for workers in Europe, Asia, Africa, and America. He stated that the pandemic made it clear that without binding mechanisms, brands will ignore their responsibility as the main profiteers. He added that the issue of a living wage is now more relevant than ever, as the crisis has left workers in immediate danger of being unable to provide basic needs for themselves and their families.
The Quality Clothes, Fair Pay campaign will last exactly one year starting today. Novi sindikat and the Coalition for a Living Wage will also collect signatures in person, and the public will be informed of these activities. Once one million signatures are collected, the proposal will go directly to the European Commission.
More information about the legislative proposal is available in English on the campaign website: www.goodclothesfairpay.eu For updates on the campaign in Croatia, follow the Novi sindikat website and Facebook page, as well as the pages of the Coalition for a Living Wage members.
The petition can be signed by all citizens of the European Union and everyone with an EU passport, regardless of where they live.
Sign the petition here:
