Amazon must respect workers
01. January 0001Make Amazon Pay for garment worker safety
Garment workers and their unions demand that Amazon sign the International Accord for Health and Safety in the Textile and Garment Industry.
Since the horrifying death of over 1,100 garment workers’ lives in the Rana Plaza factory collapse in Bangladesh on 24 April 2013, the International Accord has been a beacon of progress, uniting unions, brands and suppliers behind the common mission of ensuring workplace safety.
Negotiated by global union federations UNI Global Union and IndustriALL, the legally binding agreement has made a huge difference: over 56,000 independent safety inspections have been conducted, 140,000 safety issues have been resolved, and 2 million workers have been trained in health and safety protocols.
30 out of 33 of Amazon’s textile and garment suppliers in Bangladesh and Pakistan are covered by the Accord's stringent safety standards. Yet, Amazon refuses to commit to financially support the implementation of these standards, instead freeloading off the Accord's protections while other brands shoulder the responsibility for workers’ safety.
Amazon's free-riding must cease. It's time to sign the Accord now!