The revised agreement between H&M, IndustriALL and IF Metall follows eight years of partnership between the organisations and expands and strengthens provisions first set out in 2015 and renewed in 2016.
The GFA covers employees working at around 1,000 factories run by H&M’s manufacturing partners, establishing safeguards for workplace conditions and union rights across all production sites supplying the retail group.
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The updated GFA also includes core conventions of the International Labour Organization (ILO), along with ILO Convention 190, which focuses on preventing and addressing violence and harassment in the workplace.
H&M says the agreement also includes further commitments to enhanced due diligence aligned with OECD Guidelines and incorporates mechanisms to prevent and remedy gender-based violence.
The governance structure of the GFA has also been updated to promote effective oversight and implementation. This includes the introduction of national monitoring committees, a global steering committee, and a joint industrial relations development committee.
A binding dispute resolution process with decisions made by an independent mediator has been established for handling conflicts in the supply chain.
H&M, IndustriALL, and IF Metall have also recognised the role of broader industry initiatives, including the ACT agreement, the Accord on Fire and Building Safety, the Ready-Made Garment Sustainability Council (RSC) and the Employment Injury Scheme (EIS) in Bangladesh, as part of ongoing efforts to improve working conditions.
“With this renewed agreement we continue the important work in the sector of further empowering workers and unions in H&M’s supply chain. The GFA includes significant achievements, like the inclusion of all core ILO conventions, as well as ILO Convention 190 on violence and harassment,” commented IndustriALL general secretary Atle Hoie.
“Neutrality in union organising is another important element of the agreement. The national monitoring committees, a global steering committee, a joint industrial relations development committee, and importantly a dispute resolution mechanism that is bound by the decision of the independent mediator, provide a solid ground for functional industrial relations needed for a sustainable textile and garment industry.”
Alongside these updates, the GFA will continue to ensure collaboration in promoting the signing of collective agreements at factory, company, and industry levels among social partners.
Workers’ rights to refuse unsafe work as part of occupational health and safety also remain protected.
The agreement also maintains its requirement for ongoing training for both management and union representatives on issues such as employer responsibilities, workers’ rights and obligations, industrial relations, collective bargaining, and peaceful conflict resolution.
H&M has reaffirmed its commitment to use its influence to encourage respect for human and trade union rights among its direct suppliers, while also ensuring that workers’ representatives are protected from discrimination and have access to perform their representative roles in the workplace.
