Procurement action guide

Wednesday, 01 June 2005 00:00

As citizens, there are a number of actions we can take to make sure that our local council, fire brigade, health service, and other public service providers do all they can to improve conditions for workers that make the uniforms, workwear, safety clothing and so on for by their employees.  This guide gives you an idea of where to start.

Why Ethical Public Procurement?

Public procurement - buying of goods by local authorities and other public bodies - is estimated to be worth £5billion in Scotland alone and to represent 14% of the EU's Gross Domestic Product, which translates into a significant opportunity to improve conditions for workers in the supply chain. Public authorities have considerable power as consumers to influence the behaviour of companies.

Although Labour Behind the Label's work focuses on workwear, the aim is for workwear to serve as an example of how public procurement can lead to improvements in the practices of companies in relation to workers' rights.

Action needs to be taken to reverse the appalling conditions endemic within the garment industry, where the search for low cost sources means poor working conditions for millions of workers. Fierce competition between producer countries exacerbates already poor conditions: wages are very low, often below minimum wage levels, hours are long, overtime can be forced; repression of trade unions is common and health and safety standards are poor. The majority of garment workers are women, working in factories, 'sweatshops' or as homeworkers.

Take Action!

Get a Resolution passed by your local council
Get Researching
Contact us for more information and support
Links

Get a Resolution passed by your local council

Get your local council to pass a resolution so that they take action, for example:

XX Council frequently buys work wear either directly or through a contractor, and has a responsibility under Local Agenda 21 to develop community strategies to take forward sustainability aims. Many workers involved manufacturing and producing goods consumed in this country are subject daily to exploitation in terms of long working hours, low wages, poor health and safety and many other abuses of workers' rights as defined by the International Labour Organisation and United Nations.

Within this context, XX council therefore decides to

   1. agree in principle that in the procurement of GOODS/WORK WEAR* by the council, or on behalf of the Council, attention will be paid to the working conditions in the production of those goods;
   2. establish a team to include officers from each department involved in procurement of the PRODUCT/ GARMENTS*, local organisations and other relevant stakeholders to develop the standards and means of verification regarding workers' rights. To this end, use can be made of the expertise of Labour Behind the Label in relation to workwear or any other NGO or trade union that has a good understanding of workers' rights issues;
   3. designate a member of staff to be responsible for ensuring this resolution is carried through;
   4. Publicise all efforts made to achieve the aims of this resolution, and to publicise what is achieved;
   5. work with other local authorities in the UK and internationally to develop best practice guidelines

*Delete as appropriate for your Council.

To get the motion passed:

• Lobby councillors directly
• Get public support - for example through stalls, petitions and letter writing
• Build support from within your council - you may find potential allies within local trade union branch representing workers within the council or from the buyer responsible for workwear.
• You may be able to build on the support already gained, if your Council has already passed a motion in support of Fairtrade (contact the Fairtrade Towns Coordinator at the Fairtrade Foundation to see if they have had contact with a Fairtrade Group in your area: 0207 405 5942).
• The Fairtrade Town guide, available from the Fairtrade Foundation website at www.fairtrade.org.uk, gives good advice about how to get motions passed.

Get researching!

Contact the procurement officer in your local authority and / or other public service provider to find out which company provides their work-wear or other garments, and the value of these contracts. Most local authorities / public service providers that we've contacted have been happy to share this information with us. Then find out from the company what they are doing to ensure that workers' rights are respected and working conditions are decent in the manufacture of their products.

Contact us for more information and support

We aim to provide guidance about how to approach your local authority and to give suggestions about how to respond to responses you may receive from local authorities and companies.  FInd our contact detalis here.

Links

Clean Clothes Communities on the Clean Clothes Campaign website

CARPE: Cities As Responsible Purchasers in Europe information portal on responsible procurement . CARPE is a project of Eurocities, the network of major European cities. Founded in 1986, the network brings together the local governments of more than 120 large cities in over 30 European countries.