Prakruthi, Bangalore-based non-profit organisation established in 1991, envisagesa society where the economic and social divide created by a non-egalitarian systemis minimised. In attempting to do this, Prakruthi works with the poor and the marginalisedin various sectors of Indian economy such as the plantation workers, small andmarginal farmers, women, youth and children. It has adopted the strategy of linkingthe corporate world and communities of people in trying to achieve our statedmission.

In the new millennium Prakruthi took a conscious shift to address issues raised byliberalisation, privatization and globalization. Pursuing this paradigm shift today itsprograms and projects are focused on linking deprived grassroots communities withthe emerging new opportunities in a globalised world.

www.prakruthi.org

Solidaridad is an international network organisation with offices in four continentsand more than 25 years of experience in creating fair and sustainable supply chainsfrom producer to consumer. Solidaridad believes that fair and sustainable tradereduces poverty and helps to preserve people�’s environment. Solidaridad hasbeen involved in sustainable markets by developing standards like Max Havellar,UTZ Certified and Made-by. Solidaridad has been a key player in the establishmentof the agricultural commodity round tables, aiming at improved sustainability ofmainstream commodities like sugar, cotton, soy and palm oil.

Solidaridad�’s regional office for South and South East Asia has been active in NewDelhi, India from 2008 onwards and amongst many other sectorshas been workingon sustainability issues across the cotton and textile chain.

www.solidaridadnetwork.org/asia

Preamble

Consumers across the world are interestedin knowing from where their productscome and how it is produced. In responseto the demands by stakeholder groups,increasing number of importing companiesare asking their suppliers in Bangalore toadhere to one or other code of conduct tocheck working conditions in productionfacilities.

The Challenge

Most of the standards pertaining to fashionsector are top-down models based on thecontrol of suppliers in order to protectbrands from loss of reputation and/or as ananswer to concern of European NGOs,consumers and the brands . Thiscompliance-based approach has lead torules (the codes of conduct), procedures toenforce them (audits) and punishment (nocertificate and/or no business). And, it hasresulted in some great improvements, butmany studies have shown that it hasremained mainly a compliance issue inorder to access international market.

The standards need to be interpretedaccording to Indian realities in associationwith relevant stakeholders who are mostimpacted by it. The effort is to find benefitsfor observing acceptable social andenvironmental standards other than accessto Northern markets needs to be furtherenhanced.

Action-focused

This kind of approach needs participationof different stakeholders associated withthe garment sector to find common

Introductionsolutions - the steering groups providesuch a platform. Solidaridad (Netherlands-based international developmentcooperation organisation) and Prakruthi(Bangalore-based Indian NGO) have beenworking in the Indian garment sector from2005 towards developing consensusamongst different stakeholders to identifykey sustainability issues in differentclusters and using them for local solutions.

Steering groups have been formed inTirupur and Bangalore for this purpose,which provide a platform for differentstakeholders to collectively understand therequirements of sustainability standards(i.e. SA 8000), participates in the process(such as pre- and post-audit consultations)and develop local solutions to address keysocial, economic and environmental issues.

Focus Bangalore

The Garment Support Group in Bangalorewas set up in July 2010 and has participationfrom the following stakeholders:International NGOs, Standard-settingBodies, Trade Unions, Government Officials,Certification Bodies, Researchers andAcademics, and Indian NGOs.

The purpose of the Garment SteeringGroup is to improve the social, economicand environmental aspects in the garmentcluster of Bangalore whilst simultaneouslyenhancing the competitiveness of theBangalore garment industry.

Objective of the Meeting

To reiterate the need for a multi-stakeholdergroup in order to ensure sustainability ofpeople, planet and profit in the BangaloreGarment Sector and to strengthen theexisting Garment Support Group (GSG),Bangalore by expanding its membership tomore brands, manufacturers, certifyingbodies, trade unions and NGOs.

Participants

The meeting was held on 18th December2010 at Hotel Atria, Bangalore. It wasconvened by Prakruthi and supported bySolidaridad. The participants representedfour Brands, three Non-GovernmentOrganizations, six Trade Unions, twomanufacturers and two certifying bodies. Thepress was also invited. Although the totalnumber of expected participants was 40,about 60 attended during various times ofthe day.

Key Speakers & Tone-setters

Several people were identified to provideinputs to set the tone and tenor of the day-long program. Each of them spoke for about

20 minutes on their expectations and hopesfor the Support Group. The key inputs wereprovided by:

1. Mr. K.M. Surayanarayana Rao, activist ofBharathiya Mazdoor Sangh and Convenerof GSG_Bangalore.

2. Mr. Pramod John, Executive Director,Prakruthi, Bangalore.

3. Mr. Shatadru Chattopadhayay,Solidaridad, New Delhi.

7. Mr. Muralidharan, Lead Auditor, RINAIndia, Bangalore.

4. Mr. Bimal Arora, Director, GTZ India,New Delhi.

5. Mr. Subramanian, Trade Union Activist,Chennai.

6. Mr. Ramanath, DeputyDirector,Employees State InsuranceCorporation ( ESIC), Bangalore.

Synopses of their inputs are recorded herein.

The program was anchored by Mr. KoshyMathew, Chair of Prakruthi Board ofTrustees.

The Process2

Key InputsMr. K.M. Surayanarayana Rao,Convener, GSG-Bangalore

He briefed the gathering on the status ofGSG in Bangalore and explained the processof how it came to be formed and how acharter of understanding was developed toengage as many stakeholders as possible. Helisted the activities planned with the supportof Prakruthi. He also focused on theinvolvement of good trade unions in thisforum and given an example of a good andbad event of trade unions as well as factories/companies. He expressed concern for thewellbeing of the workers ultimately.

The multi stakeholder Garment SupportGroup (GSG) was formed in July 2010 andgathered momentum with participation ofmore stakeholders during a special one dayconsultation that was organized inBangalore. The initiative is the brain childof a consortium of trade unions and NGOs,facilitated by Prakruthi NGO andsupported by Solidaridad, an internationalcooperation agency. With this meeting, therepresentatives from other NGOs workingwith the garment workers, governmentagencies, code setting bodies, certifyingagencies and international buyers

representingfamous brandshave agreed tostrengthenthe GSG. TheGSG strives toimprove thesocial,economic, andenvironmentalconditions inthe garmentsector ofBangalorewhile simultaneously enhancing thecompetitiveness of the sector.

As the convener of the GSG, he welcomed allthe representatives present in the meetingand requested for their support andcooperation to take this initiative forwardfor the well being of all especially thevulnerable garment workers in Bangalore.

3

Key InputsMr. Pramod John, ExecutiveDirector, Prakruthi

Mr. Pramod John spoke about the role ofNGOs in promoting and facilitating multi-stakeholder groups and shared briefly aboutthe experiences of organizing TirupurSteering Group (TSG).

Dwelling on the TSG, he said that itsobjective was �“to encourage and enabletextile enterprises in India to have a positiveand growing impact on the quality of life ofthe people through adoption of improvedCSR practices.�”

Its main focus is to engage itself in socialaudits in the garment sector in order toaddress labour and environmental issuesmore effectively.

Mr. Pramod emphasized the need for thetriple-bottom approach, namely, People,Planet and Profit, and said that sustainabilitycan be achieved only with the activeparticipation of all stakeholders in order toaddress any kind of issue.

Touching upon the Bangalore GarmentCluster, Mr. Pramod John said that it hastaken off positively and, in the short span ofits existence, has created a good rapport withall stakeholders. This meeting, he said, mustbe seen as an extension of the work of the pastfive months with a view to widen the base.

Prakruthialready hascarved a nichein the field ofsuchengagementsand is willingto take theinitiative inother sectorstoo with thesupport ofstakeholdersin each sectorand support from agencies such asSolidaridad.

In conclusion, Mr. John said that suchinitiatives are aimed at addressing theMillennium Development Goals (MDG), towhich India has committed. Specifically, inthe garment sector, the aim would to addressthe following goals:

Promotion of gender equality andempowerment of women (MDG-3),

Reduction of child mortality (MDG-4),

Improvement of maternal health (MDG-5),

Ensuring environmental sustainability(MDG-7), and

Developing a partnership for development(MDG-8).

4

Dr. Shatadru Chattopadhayay,Regional Director, Solidaridad

Dr. Shatadru Chattopadhayay brieflyexplained the activities of Solidaridad,Netherlands and its present programs. Henarrated his experience in multi-stakeholderengagements in other sectors. He pointedout that international aid and cooperationagencies have a major role to play indeveloping multi-stakeholder groups whichwould ensure improvements in social,economic and environmental aspects of anyindustry including garment sector.

Dr. Chattopadhayay said that 72 per cent ofthe population in India are below 39 years ofage with high consumption potential andthat a select group of consumers isincreasingly wanting to know what theirfavourite brands are doing on thesustainability agenda issue.

A host of perceptions by suppliers,manufacturers and consumers plague theindustry and the initiative, such as forcedcompliance of standards have been developedin the global north and is useful for exportsand that It is not integrated as a �“value;�”domestic consumers do not need sustainableproducts like their western counterparts;compliances are expensive and the marketdoes not reward such practices since it isB2B; and the value chain approach is notnecessary as long as the workplace iscertified.

Key InputsAfter allayingthe fears basedon theseperceptions,with facts,figures andillustrations,he spelt outthe focus ofSolidaridad�’swork in thissphere as:

Local MSIs:Give a voiceto the most marginalised stakeholders instandard development and standardimplementation.

Joint Ventures: Recognise local standardsas baseline and collaborate as the entry toany of the international standards.

Equality and Pragmatism: Recognisethat all consumers across the world deservesustainable products and work towards it.

Progress: Actively explore options for B2Cin the fashion segment as a logical nextstep after a decade long work in B2Bsegment.

Supply Chain Approach: Work towardssustainability across the value chain andnot only on one segment.

5

Mr. Muralidharan, Lead Auditor,SAI /RINA India

Mr. Muralidharan represented the SocialAccountability International (code-setters ofSA 8000) and Certification Body. He outlinedthe role of certifying bodies and code-settingorganizations in ensuring and gauging thesocial compliances of companies. He saidthat certified companies should havecommitment and concern towards itsworkers and society at large andcontinuously strive towards achieving 100per cent desired conformities of SA 8000certification. Certification is just a beginningtowards sustainability and not an end initself, he said.

Mr. Muralidharan went on to say that thecompanies should be willing to share thepros and cons during the auditing processand to rectify those non-conformities inorder to make the process more sustainable.The certified companies should make acascading effect on their suppliers and/orsub-contractors to ensure that they alsoachieve the standards of SA 8000 over aperiod of time.

SA 8000should neitherbe seen as onemore �‘1000+�’certificationthey havealready gotnor should itbe done just tofulfil therequirementof the buyer orbrands. A veryfew companieshave gone up to the level of using theSA8000 documents for analysis tounderstand their social performance in termsof sustainability-reporting and contributingto global reporting initiatives (GRI). Othercompanies can emulate this model, he said,and be more socially responsible in an openmanner.

Key Inputs6

Mr. Bimal Arora, Director, GTZIndia/CSR Centre

Mr. Bimal Arora explained the presentscenario of CSR in the garment sector inAsian countries and narrated the naturalfibre-based garment industries which protectthe environment as well as promotesustainability.

Using the �‘Natural Fibre Garment Roadmap�’developed by The Hub, an AustralianGovernment-funded agency advocatingresponsible business practices, Mr. Aroratook the forum through the ten milestonesbeginning with design and production andending with textile waste. It was seen that ateach of these ten stages, there was a case forsustainability. He called on the forum tostudy this roadmap carefully and adapt it toour context. In such a situation, it isimportant to include more stakeholders,since farmers and even environmentalactivists too have a stake, he said.

He located the GSG within the mandate ofcorporate social responsibility, which is partof the emerging Indian corporate scenario.He also shared the road map of the sector�’sintervention and spoke about how to moveforward from where we are at present.

He suggested including farmers, especially

those workingin the cottonsector, in thesupport groupwho will ableto representtheir issues.

Similarly, hesuggestedincluding theenvironment,health andsafety experts/activists sincetheir representation would give the issue ofsustainability a holistic view.

Mr Bimal Arora said facilitation of by NGOswould be a great support for thesustainability of the industry. Allstakeholders should open up and discussissues in such forums in order to arrive at themutually-acceptable solutions. We shouldnot refrain from confrontations which isquite natural as we are not only discussingjust good things but mostly the issues ofsustainability, he concluded.

Key Inputs7

Mr. Subramanian, Leader, NTUI,Chennai

Mr. Subramanian addressed sustainabilityfrom the perspective of the workers. Hebegan by asking, �“Is there a mutual concernfor each other?�” and opined that if there is,then it should certainly include the health ofthe industry too. �‘Certification�’, he said wasbasically done to promote the interests ofparticular stakeholders, namely the buyerand the brand. It does not take into accountall stakeholders in the sector. A holisticapproach is required and certification meanswe are willing to be transparent.

Generally, workers and companies are morerelated to each other than with brands and,therefore, we should think also about therelation between workers and brands, hesaid. Companies should understand that therole of workers is much more in the processof certification and not just themanagement. He emphasized thatcertification is not just for export purposes.While auditing we should think about howto integrate the interests of all stakeholdersand, for this, we need to be open with eachother and treat everyone equally, especiallythe workers. Earlier the government used tointervene as �‘third party�’ to implementcertain aspects beneficial to both companies

and workers,but that rolehas reducedand now themanagementwill have totake this in amuch deepermanner, forthe sake ofboth thebusiness andto addresssustainabilityissues.

He insisted that the certification processshould be an inclusive process ratherexcluding different stakeholders at differentstages of social audit. So, the entire valuechain, from the source to the end product,has a role to play in making the auditeffective. Only by doing so, will the standardsbe achieved.

Key Inputs8

Mr. Ramanath, Deputy Director,ESIC

Mr. Ramanath first clarified certain mattersrelated to ESIC in general. He clarifiedanything paid in cash to the employee/worker contributes to the ESIC. The ESICstrives to ensure that employees are notdenied their due benefits. For these reasons,the ESIC policies are certainly harsh on thedefaulters and never on those who pay ontime. Defaulters attract heavy and harshpenalties, and in order to avoid this it is farbetter to pay the contribution on time at anycost. The worst thing that might happen tothe defaulters could be prosecution. It is notthe HR personnel in a company that wouldbe held responsible, but the employer, that isthe entire management.

He requested the union leaders to orientworkers on ESIC and its benefits and also tohighlight to them that the moment theybecome an insured employee it is theirresponsibility to ensure timely payment oftheir dues on time through the employers.As a recent development the insurance IDnumbers have been made universal andhence the payment and accessibility of theinsurance services is also made universal.

That meansthe insuredperson andhis/hereligibledependentscan get theESIC benefitsanywhere inthe countryeasily. Thiswouldcertainly helpthe migrantworkers and their families.

Mr. Ramanath said that in spite of socialwelfare measures being under pressure to cutback because of globalisation, India can beproud that the ESIC is one government bodythat has constantly improved deliveryservices, with opening of more hospitals,including super-speciality hospitals inseveral locations.

Key Inputs9

After all these presentations and itsaccompanying clarif ications, the floor wasthrown open for general discussion. Themoderator invited two key people - Dr.Shatadru Chattopadhayay and Mr. BimalArora - to help him sum up and give theforum a direction.

Dr. Shatadru Chattopadhayay:�“We stand as a neutral stakeholder here aswe are not directly related to the garmentsector. From this meet we understand thatthere are not enough forums to hear out thedifferences of opinion. Questions such aswhy/how NGOs cannot work withmanufacturers or brands or unions; on therole of manufactures or suppliersassociations; role of brands (unions have noaccess or limited access to brands); on thefact that unions can deal only withmanufacturers only on OHS issues and notthe sustainability issues as a whole, all showthat we are in a nascent stage. To discuss allthese we need to have a forum whichnecessarily need not be a national one butlocal ones that can take up local issues as theissues might differ from place to place. Asneutral agencies (Solidaridad, Prakruthi,CSR Centre, etc.), we can only facilitate theprocess of forming forums to discuss suchissues in the industry and work together

with the stakeholders to make the IndianGarment Sector more competitive.�”

Mr. Bimal Arora:�“Congratulations to the organizers andparticipants of this meeting for a fruitfuldiscussion. With the experience Prakruthihas from the Tirupur garment sector, theywill be able to evolve something similar inBangalore garment sector too. We can learnfrom them and take it to other parts of thecountry where we are working. Places suchas Ludhiana and Delhi too have a heavyconcentration of textile and garmentmanufacturers.

�“The acknowledgement of the fact thatissues are very complex and there is a lack oftrust between the stakeholders is in itself agood starting point. The very fact that wehave come together to discuss it is laudatory.The second step would be to build acongenial environment and trust to discussthose contentious issues openly and startworking together. The third step would bemore enabling discussions and deliberationsto address sustainability issues. This, Ibelieve, should be ideal way forward. We(CSR Centre and NGOs) work with brands,

Winding Up10

What Next?companies, the government and its agenciesand we can facilitate such platforms andsupport such initiatives�”.

Suggestions from the floor stronglyfavoured broad-basing the stakeholderforum and specif ic recommendations weremade to involve government agenciesinvolved in the welfare of the workers, suchas the labour department, Likewise, the statepollution control boards (PCB) may also beinvolved along with environment groupssince environment is a major concern whileaddressing sustainability.

Mr. Pramod John, Executive Director ofPrakruthi, proposed the formal vote ofthanks and assured the forum that asorganisers, Prakruthi will diligently follow-up the recommendations made.

The following actions were agreed upon:

a. Prioritise some of the key sustainabilitychallenges in Bangalore garment clusterand create consensus on solutions.

b. Submit a proposal to SAI and BSCI forgiving GSG a consultative status andinitiate awareness-raising programmes onCSR standards.

c. Invite different Bangalore-based suppliersand key brands to participate in the GSG.

d. Promote the sustainability aspects ofBangalore garment industry nationallyand internationally.

e. To bring out a printed document of theproceedings of the meet.

11

1 S. L. Sridevi, The Garment Workers Union

2 R. S. Irudaya Mary, INTUC

3 Sujata Mody, GAFWU

4 M. Franclina, INTUC

5 Muthialic Uthaiah, INTUC

6 N. M. Mudappa, TGWU-KLF

7 N. M. Muthappa, TGWU-KLF

8 M. R. Dakshina Murthy, INTUC

9 Lydia Williams, INTUC

10 E. G. Sowbhagaya, GWUK

11 Shantha Kumar, INTUC

12 Sebastian Devaraj, KGWU

13 K. S. Mekkote, GKS

14 M. Subbu, NTUI

15 Kiran, INTUC

16 Talaha, INTUC

17 Radha, KBCW

18 Ramamurthy, BMS

19 K. M. Sooryanarayana Rao, BMS

20 Sandhya Suresh, BVC, (Certification Body)

21 S. Muralidharan, RINA India (CertificationBody)

22 S. Ravi, BVC (Certification Body)

23 Kalpana, RINA India (Certification Body)

24 K. M. Raghunath, SAI (Certification Body)

25 Latha Vittal, GAP Inc. (Brand)

26 Sharmila Nithyanand, GAP Inc.(Brand)

27 R. M. Santhosh, Hans Brand(Brand)

28 Chethan Kumar, BRFL (Manufacturer)

29 Shobana A., BRFL (Manufacturer)

30 Rangaraj, BRFL (Manufacturer)

31 Manoj Francis, Scotts Garments Ltd.(Manufacturer)

32 Raghu, Scotts Garments Ltd. (Manufacturer)

33 T. Sajitha, Garden City Fashions(Manufacturer)

34 Parijatha, MAF Clothing Pvt. Ltd.(Manufacturer)

35 Mohan Kumar, Texport Overseas(Manufacturer)

36 H. Vanil, Texport Overseas (Manufacturer)

37 K. Venugopal, Gokuldas Images(Manufacturer)

38 N. Anjaneyulu, Radhamani Exports(Manufacturer)

39 AS. Halesh, Jaism Apparels (Manufacturer)

40 Kavitha, Ranger Clothing Company(Manufacturer)

41 S.W.H. Zaidi, Texport Industries(Manufacturer)

42 Shatadru Chattopadhayay, Solidaridad SSEA(NGO)

43 Mohammad Shadab, Solidaridad SSEA(NGO)

44 Hema Swamy, Janaagraha (NGO)

45 Bimal Arora, GTZ india (NGO)

46 Amritha, DISC (NGO)

47 Sujatha, PIC (NGO)

48 M. S. Christopher, DANI (NGO)

49 Koshy Mathew, Prakruthi (NGO)

50 Pramod John, Prakruthi (NGO)

51 Ramaiah, Labour Department, GoK

52 B. G. Narayanan, Labour Department, GoK

53 AM. Ramanath, ESIC

54 R. Sukanya, ESIC (Sankalp Project)

55 R. P. Singh, ESIC

56 Ravishankar, Voicecom

57 Ashok Kumar, Shahi Garments & Exports(Manufacturer)

58 C. Kumaraswamy, Event Organising SupportConsultant

Participants12

�“It is a good initiative and we are very supportive of it to focus on theissues of the industry. This type of multi-stakeholders discussionwould reduce the issues through effective dialogues.�”

Ms. Latha, GAP Brand

Impressions and Expressions

�“The GSG Bengaluru is doing marvellous work to improve the living andworking conditions of the garment factory workers. As a union leader

and activist, I feel this initiative helps resolving some of the labour issuesin a mutual manner.�”

Ms. Muthialic Uthaiah, INTUC (Women�’s Wing)

�“GSG is doing a wonderful job as it caters to the needs of the biggestlabour sector (garment). Let this become a platform of workers and

entrepreneurs to discuss various issues threadbare and bring into effectwhatever benef its all stakeholders.�”

Mr. Anjaneyulu, Human Resources, Radhamani Exports

�“A good beginning and a forum to bring all the stakeholders under oneumbrella named GSG. It is quite useful for interaction among the variousstakeholders and smooth functioning together. Let us all march towards theyear 2011 for a better progress.�”

Mr. Shantha Kumar, General Secretary, INTUC

�“GSG supports the employees of Bangalore garment manufacturingindustries by facilitating effective social audit process to sort out the labour,health and safety and environment-related issues. GSG needs to invite morestakeholders in Bangalore and from other parts of India and work withNGOs who really work for the benef it of garment workers.�”

Mr. Mohan Kumar, Texport Overseas (Manufacturer)

�“GSG has brought TUs, NGOs, buyers/brands, manufacturers, etc.,together. This helps in building a better understanding among

stakeholders. Here the value of certif ication is seen as a process ratherthan an end in itself. The discussion was very useful to the groups

working for workers�’ rights and other stakeholders to understand thelong-term health and sustainability of the garment sector.�”

Ms. Sujata Mody, GAFWU

13

Bangalore Garment SectorGarment SupporGarment SupporGarment SupporGarment SupporGarment Support Group,t Group,t Group,t Group,t Group, Bangalore Bangalore Bangalore Bangalore Bangalore

Purpose Statement of Garment Support Group, Bangalore

We, a group of different Trade Unions and NGOs. are committed to better environmentalresponsibilities in the Bangalore Garment Sector.

We have come together to establish the Garment Support Group of Bangalore �– an informalassembly of Trade Unions and Non-Government Organizations (NGOs).

We seek to work together in making social audits in the Garment Sector more effective toaddress labour and environmental issues

We Recognize:

The buyers (mostly importing companies) demands asking their suppliers in Bangaloreto adhere to one or other codes of conduct in production facilities.

The Trade Unions and NGOs have often very limited or no role in the audit,verif ication, monitoring and remediation programs initiated by the code-settingbodies.

The need of a comprehensive and accountable mechanism for the Trade Unions andNGOs to engage with the various codes setting and code implementing bodies.

The non-participation of the workers in the audit due to lack of awareness about thecodes of conduct.

We Believe:

1. That active participation of Trade Unions and NGOs in the entire social audit processcould lead to quality monitoring and credible variation.

2. That implementation of Codes of Conduct in partnership with Trade Unions and NGOswould lead to increased competitiveness in the Bangalore Garment sector by way ofbetter access to market, reputational benef its, increased worker satisfaction andloyalty. leading to increased productivity, increased savings through betterenvironmental management and reduction of cost of production.

3. The Trade Unions and NGOs have a better chance of achieving their goals in aneffective manner by mutual cooperation and coordination amongst themselves ratherthan a singular approach.

4. That we approach this idea with different entry points and perspectives and this verydiversity is the strength of the Support Group rather than the distances thatseparate us.

AnnexureAnnexureAnnexureAnnexureAnnexure14

Approach:

To be a one-point reference for pre-audit and post-audit consultations.

Facilitate independent monitoring of the observation of the codes of conduct.

To participate in verif ication of the remediation programmes initiated by the factory.

Filing of complaints and reporting on serious violations of the codes.

Training for the workers on codes of conduct at the factory floor.

To collaborate and work towards issues of common priorities.

To engage with various code-setting bodies.

Working of Garments Support Group

1. The Support Group comprises different Trade Unions and NGOs i.e.. AITUC, INTUC,BMS, KLF, BGWUs, and NGOs �– PIC, Prakruthi, and DISK.

2. The Support Group has come together informally on the specif ic issue of social auditsin Bangalore and it will have no room with regard to independent activities of itsmembers.

3. To begin with. the Support Group would work with SA 8000 Certif ication codes asmajority of the garment companies in Bangalore are adopting SA8000 standards.Subsequently, the group will engage with other multi-stakeholder code setting bodies.

4. The Bangalore Off ice of Prakruthi would host the Secretariat of the Support Group inthe initial year.

5. One person from Prakruthi will act as Coordinator of the Support Group and would beresponsible for facilitating various activities from time to time under the guidelines ofthe Support Group and Prakruthi, Bangalore.

6. The Garment Support Group would meet at least once in two months. This would notprohibit the Support Group to conduct meetings or workshops on specif ic themes.

7. A quorum of 7 members would be necessary to conduct the Support Group meeting.Out of 7 members a minimum of three Trade Unions and two NGOs need to be presentat the meeting.

8. Garment Support Group meetings to be given priority as the heads of the NGOs andsenior-most trade union leaders would be participating in the deliberations. However,in case of extreme diff iculties, a nominee of the organization he/she represents may besent.

9. The Garment Support Group would have the right to invite observers or special inviteesin its meetings from time to time.

10. The Group will decide by simple majority about the inclusion of new members in theGarment Support Group of Bangalore.

15

Signatures aff ixed by:

Trade Unions:

Sl Name Trade Union DesignationNo.

1 Mr.Narasimhan All India Trade Union PresidentCongress (AITUC)

2 Mr.Shantha Kumar Indian National Trade General SecretaryUnion Congress (INTUC)

3 Mr.K.M.Suryanarayana Rao Bharth Masdoor Sangh (BMS) General Secretary

4 Mr.Muddapa.N.M Karnataka Labour Federation (KLF) General Secretary

5 Smt.Radha Karnataka Construction andUnorganized Workers Union Secretary(KC & UOWU)

6 Mr. Christopher Garment Workers Union CEOKarnataka (GWUK)

7 Mr.Kumar Karnataka Labour Welfare PresidentFederation (KLWF)

NGOs:

1 Smt.Sujatha Ganeshan Partners In Change (PIC)

2 Smt.Amitha.V.S Development Initiative forSocial Causes (DISC)

3 Mr.Pramod John Prakruthi

16

�“Snapshots from the GSG Meets & Garment Workers Trainings�”

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