The ACT complaints mechanism for the purpose of a pilot

Effective grievance mechanisms for Manufacturers on purchasing practices are key to transforming the global garment, textiles and footwear industry.

Effective grievance mechanisms on purchasing practices for manufacturers are key to transforming the global garment, textiles and footwear industry.

In 2018, ACT members adopted five Global Purchasing Practices Commitments, with an agreed Accountability & Monitoring framework to ensure their implementation. Key aspects of the framework are a confidential communication channel to raise complaints and to provide access to remedy. For this reason ACT developed a pilot complaints mechanism.

The Pilot is a first of its kind in the industry, open for manufacturers and employers’ associations from ACT priority countries. It tests a mechanism through which to submit complaints and hold ACT member brands accountable for their commitments regarding ACT Global Purchasing Practices Commitments No.2 (Fair Terms of Payment) and No. 5 (Responsible exit). It was open to receive cases until 31 January 2024.

Based on the experiences and technical review of the pilot, ACT is aiming to launch a full-scale grievance mechanism for manufacturers and employers’ associations.

The Pilot is funded by the Initiative for Global Solidarity (IGS) implemented by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH supported by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).

The pilot closed on 31 January 2024. Here you can see how the submission process looked like.

Step 1: Submit a complaint

This video explains how to submit a complaint

To submit a complaint, you need to fill in the complaints form in English, making sure to include any supporting documentation which may support the case.
Submit your complaint using the end to end encryption dropbox. This ensures full confidentiality of your submission.

What happens after you have submitted a complaint?

Step 2: Eligibility check

Your submission will be checked for the eligibility criteria cited in the complaints form. Incomplete submissions can be followed up by the ACT Secretariat, who may ask for further information or clarifications before proceeding.

Step 3: Fact finding

Either the ACT Secretariat or an independent third party expert will carry out a confidential fact finding process to determine further details of the case.

Step 4: Conciliation and resolution process (I)

The Secretariat will engage an independent expert from an agreed pool of experts to work with the parties to try to achieve a settlement agreement. If no resolution can be found between the parties, the independent expert suggests a course of remediation, if appropriate, and informs IndustriALL of the proposal.

Step 5: Conciliation and resolution process (II)

The resolution will be implemented, or;
The Secretariat will forward the case to IndustriALL which may decide to pursue a dispute resolution process.

Step 6: Communication

ACT Secretariat communicates the process to all parties.

Confidentiality

All cases are handled in strict confidentiality, as are all communications relating to questions about filing a potential complaint.

To ensure the security and confidentiality of the submission, please upload the completed form and supporting documentation through the end to end encrypted upload page in the link below.

Download Complaint Form Submit form via secure upload page

Do you need more information?

Contact ACT