Some of the world’s biggest fashion brands have signed a “framework for action” aimed at protecting Myanmar’s garment workers from the worst impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. The global brands that have endorsed the statement (so far H&M, Inditex, Next, Tchibo and Bestseller) commit to paying manufacturers for finished goods and goods in production and maintaining quick and effective open lines of communication with supply chain partners about the status of business operations and future planning.

The Industrial Workers Federation of Myanmar (IWFM), announced last week it had inked an agreement with ACT (Action, Collaboration, Transformation), an Ethical Trading Initiative-affiliated institution with the aim to transform the garment, textile and footwear industry and achieve living wages for workers through collective bargaining at industry level linked to purchasing practices.

The Covid-19 pandemic has caused a crisis in Myanmar’s garment industry, with severe economic impacts for workers. In a union-led initiative, as many as 100,000 garment workers in Myanmar are set to benefit from measures agreed with brands and employers.

The parties commit to cooperate in good faith to secure the workplace health and safety of garment and footwear workers in Myanmar and mitigate the impact of the crisis on factories and workers. This includes engaging with relevant organizations to mobilize resources for covering salary loss of workers in the industry from April to July, in coordination with the global action to support the garment industry, and supporting ILO research to calculate the necessary funding for salary losses.

The parties further agree to support the development of social protection floors, to extend social protection for workers and employers in the garment industry in Myanmar and to promote compliance with health and safety regulations.