ACT members agree freedom of association annex for Türkiye

ACT is an agreement between 19 global brands – including Asos, Bestseller, C&A, H&M, Inditex and Primark – and the IndustriAll global union working towards living wages for workers in textile and garment supply chains. Marking what it calls an important milestone in the ACT process in Türkiye, ACT has enacted the Türkiye  Freedom of Association (FoA) Annex as an extension to the ACT MoU.

The FOA Annex contextualises global freedom of association commitments made by brands in the ACT MOU and is said to reflect the unique industrial relations challenges faced by industry stakeholders and establish a clear, efficient, and result-oriented protocol to continue supporting constructive and mature industrial relations in Türkiye.

The Annex was agreed between 17 ACT member brands sourcing from Türkiye and IndustriAll, including its affiliates in Türkiye. Reflecting international and National core labour legislation that are also covered by all brands’ codes of conduct, it is an industrial relations agreement that covers all supply chain units in the Turkish textile, garment and leather industries producing for ACT member brands.

Christina Hajagos-Clausen, textile and garment industry director at IndustriAll Global Union, says: “This agreement reflects the strong commitment ACT members have to building a sustainable, stable and fair industry in Türkiye. IndustriAll and our Turkish affiliates Deriteks Sendikası, Disk Tekstil Iscileri Sendikasi, Öz Iklip-Iz, and Teksif and look forward to working closely with ACT member brands and their suppliers now that the Annex is enacted.”