Union chairman warns against watering down the law – “Fig leaf is not enough”
Vienna. (OTS) – The supply chain law risks failing if an agreement is not reached quickly. Reinhold Binder, chairman of the PRO-GE union, therefore appeals to Economics Minister Kocher to give up the blockade and do everything possible to ensure that the supply chain law can be finally passed before the EU elections: “We need a strong supply chain law. Our prosperity can no longer be based on exploitation. Forced labor, child labor and environmental pollution could be significantly reduced as a result and that can only be in all of our interests.” Binder therefore also supports the SPÖ’s initiative to address the issue of supply chain law in the EU subcommittee and to try to positively influence the federal government’s position .
Binder also sees advantages for companies: “On the one hand, some EU states already have regulations on supply chains. Uniform legal regulations would simplify the situation for businesses in the EU. On the other hand, those companies that already pay attention to sustainability and human rights standards along their supply chain are at a competitive disadvantage. The same requirements would apply with the Supply Chain Act.”
It remains to be hoped that the EU states will come to a yes vote in time and that the law will not be watered down too much. “A fig leaf is not enough,” says Binder. The union leader recalled the collapse of the Rana Plaza textile factory in 2013, which claimed 1,135 lives. Although the Bangladesh Accord has subsequently led to improvements for textile workers, there are still gaps because companies decide voluntarily whether to join the agreement, which some large textile companies have not done to date. “This shows us that we need binding and effective guidelines for companies so that minimum standards are adhered to. With the Supply Chain Act, the EU has the opportunity to prove that it takes the fight against human rights violations and exploitation seriously,” concludes Binder.
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