Coalition won't endorse sweatshop agreement

National Catholic Reporter, Dec 4, 1998 by Teresa Malcolm

The Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility, an umbrella organization of religious agencies that hold stocks, has announced it will not endorse a White House-brokered agreement between apparel manufacturers and other human rights groups.

"Key principles, such as payment of a sustainable living wage to employees and credible, independent monitoring, are not sufficiently addressed," said Timothy Smith, the center's executive director.

The accord, which President Clinton praised as "a historic step toward reducing sweatshops around the world," was hammered out by a White House task force that included representatives of Nike, Reebok, Liz Claiborne and Phillips-Van Heusen. Under the accord, American manufacturers pledge not to do business with companies overseas that use forced labor or require employees to work more than 60 hours a week. Companies will also prohibit hiring children younger than 15 except in countries where 14-year-olds can work legally. The agreement also commits the companies to pay the minimum wage required by local laws.

"The agreement provides for a study of wages," said the Rev. David Schilling, who represented the center on the task force that hammered out the deal. "But it does not commit participating companies to pay a sustainable living wage in apparel and footwear plants around the world.

"A factory may be clean, well-organized and monitored, but unless the workers are paid a sustainable living wage, it is still a sweatshop," he said.

Briefs, gathered from news services, correspondents and staff, are compiled and edited by Teresa Malcolm.