We believe that collective bargaining at industry level, enabled by freedom of association and responsible purchasing practices, is the most realistic pathway to making an impact on wages.
The Memorandum of Understanding – signed between member companies and IndustriALL – is the basis for the cooperation between ACT members, outlining the commitments necessary to establish freedom of association, collective bargaining and living wages within global supply chains.
In line with the ILO, ACT believes that the social partners at national level – employers and trade unions – should be in the driving seat when it comes to identifying actions and measures that can contribute to sustainable and predictable real wage growth.ACT is therefore supporting employers and trade unions in negotiating tailor-made solutions supported by the purchasing practices of global brands.
ACT is convinced that living wage benchmarks’, while providing important indicators, are often insufficient in addressing this complex subject. Since wages are intrinsically linked to competitiveness and purchasing prices, a holistic solution is needed to create a win-win solution for all supply chain actors – manufacturers, brands and workers.
As the International Labour Organisation (ILO) pointed out, living wage benchmarks or estimates, where they exist, should serve to inform – not replace – evidence-based social dialogue, including collective bargaining, and facilitate the setting of wages considered as adequate by the parties involved.
ACT selected these initial countries on the basis of sizable garment production with considerable presence of ACT member brands and the potential for trade unions to engage in collective bargaining at industry level. In the past, ACT has also extensively worked in Myanmar.
Executive Director
Mira brings extensive industrial relations and international Collective Bargaining experience to the Secretariat. Prior to joining ACT Mira Neumaier was Vice-President at the Civil Aviation Section of the European Transport Workers Federation, International Transport Workers Federation and served as Head of the National Civil Aviation and Maritime Section of a general services union. Mira has a background in economics, labor law and sociology.
Head of Operations, Accountability and Monitoring
Bea Ruoff has a background in economics and business administration. Prior to joining ACT she has designed and managed multi-stakeholder research projects at the Berlin School of Economics and Law and was a researcher and teacher with a focus on labour market development and inequality, wage setting and global production networks.
Head of Programmes
David Cichon has a background in sociology and political science with a research focus on industrial relations in global value chains. He completed his doctoral thesis on wage setting in Cambodia’s garment and footwear industry.
Head of access to remedy and due diligence | Manager country programmes
Tandiwe Gross joined the team in June 2018. She has a background in political science, law and labour policies, and has worked for the ILO in the field of online capacity building and technical advice on due diligence. More recently she served in the ILO Liaison Office in Myanmar.
Grievance Mechanism Coordinator
David O’Connell has a background in political science, social science and labour policies. David is a doctoral candidate at the University of Kassel, exploring questions of employee ownership, microeconomics, and labour strategy.
Administration Officer
Director, Textile and Garment Industry, IndustriALL Global Union
General Secretary, IndustriALL Global Union
Area Lead, Global Sustainability, H&M Group
Primark
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