We understand that, short-term contract work becoming the main form of employment in the Asian labour market, especially in the garment sector. The garment manufacturers employ workers on short-term employment contracts to work on a ‘just in time’ production model, in which workers are terminated during low season.

Also we understand that, workers are hired in short-term contracts to reduce the employer’s obligations to the workers and/or eliminate the trade unions. And workers hired in short-term contracts often do not receive a written employment contract and are exposed to precarious working conditions, vulnerability, employer’s control and insecurity. Mostly the workers in short-term contracts are forced to work long working hours with low wages and no access to social protection. In many cases there is an increasing trend to employ workers in successive short-term contracts without the access to permanent employment.

We would like to register that, the flexible labour policies and expansion of Free Trade Zones cause negative effects on the working conditions, labour rights and specially favours the infringement of trade union rights in the Asian garment sector. And the deregulation of labour policies promotes precarious and unprotected form of employment.

We underline that, short-term contract employment is a major obstacle to implement Decent Work Agenda of the ILO for the workers in all sectors, especially in the garment and manufacturing sector.

We the trade unions and social movements declare that, we campaign for the implementation of Decent Work policies in all sectors for all workers. And in particular we want “SAME JOB, SAME TREATMENT” and guarantee equal treatment for short-term contract workers in garment industry in line with the regular workers.

For that we recommend, the governments should respect and implement in their National regulations, the ILO principles and fundamental rights at work (the 8 Core Labour Standards), the ILO recommendation on employment relationship (Nr. R.198) and the ILO declaration on Declaration on Social Justice for a Fair Globalization to all the workers, in particular to the short-term contract workers.

Signed by:

NGWF Bangladesh

C.CAWDU Cambodia

GARTEKS Indonesia

YCW Sri Lanka

NWC Sri Lanka

WSM Belgium