After years of pressure Levi’s commits to protecting workers in Pakistan

Levi’s has signed the International Accord on health and safety in the textile and garment industry; a legally binding agreement between brands and unions which originally came about after the deadly collapse of the Rana Plaza building in Bangladesh in 2013. The Accord ensures that supplier factories of garment brands that signed the agreement are inspected and that identified safety hazards will be remediated. Since 2023, the Accord has started a country programme in Pakistan, with more country programmes to be expected in years to come. The Accord’s inspections and strict remediation programme as well as a complaint mechanism and worker trainings will ensure that the factories Levi’s produces will be made safe.

For many years, Levi’s has been the target of intense campaigning by unions in Bangladesh and Pakistan, as well as unions and labour rights organisations around the world. The death of four workers in one of its supplier factories in 2022 disproved the company’s assertion that its own monitoring systems were sufficiently protecting its workers. Several reports and public calls by Clean Clothes Campaign have exposed how the brand has been freeriding on the efforts of other brands and needed to take its own responsibility towards its workers. Store actions, on- and offline campaigns and a public petition, which collected almost 70,000 signatures, have continuously reminded the brand in the past years that it needed to join the collective effort that managed to unite over 240 brands behind the goal of factory safety.

The urgency of a major brand like Levi’s signing this programme and the real costs of brands dragging their feet was once more shown by the tragic death of a worker in an explosion in Levi’s supplier factory Combined Fabrics in Pakistan on Monday. Four more workers were injured. Pakistan’s garment sector is notoriously dangerous, and the Pakistan programme of the International Accord can only cover all workers and factories with the support of all major brands sourcing from Pakistan. Many major brands continue to refuse to sign the agreement, such as Nike, Amazon, Decathlon, and IKEA. We will continue to push these companies to sign the agreement.

Zehra Khan, general secretary of the Home-Based Women Workers Federation in Pakistan, said: "We’re happy that Levi’s finally listened to voices of workers and activists around the world telling the company to take responsibility for their workers safety. But our minds are also with the workers who died, were injured or feared for their lives while Levi’s was still refusing to join the Accord, including in the deadly incident this week. Other brands should learn from this: there is no time to waste, sign the Accord now and make sure that your unsafe Pakistani supplier factories are inspected and fixed."

Edgar Romney, Secretary-Treasurer, Workers United-SEIU, a union representing Levi’s workers which has campaigned intensively for the brand to sign this agreement the past years side by side with Clean Clothes Campaign network organisations, said: "Workers United applauds Levi's decision to join this lifesaving program. For far too long, workers in Pakistan who make Levi's products have risked their lives just going to work. Going forward, these workers will now enjoy critical safety protections and they and their unions will be able to play a central role in safety inspections and the factory remediation process. Importantly, the Accord also protects workers' right to freedom of association with regards to health and safety, allowing workers to speak up about safety hazards without fear of retaliation. We congratulate the company on demonstrating a commitment to making its supplier factories in Pakistan safe, and we urge the company to do the same in Bangladesh."

This is not the first time Levi’s responds to the concerted campaigning efforts of the past years. Unions and activists were disappointed last year when the brand joined the Nirapon initiative. Nirapon is a worker hotline focusing on Bangladesh, set up by brands that were unwilling to join the Accord with its binding nature and strong union participation. Clearly feeling the need for more collective protection against the worker and activist pressure, in 2023 Levi’s joined Nirapon instead of the Accord. Christie Miedema, campaign coordinator at Clean Clothes Campaign, said: "Workers and activists welcome the fact that Levi’s now has come around and signed the International Accord and its Pakistan country programme. We hope that the company will take this opportunity to also sign the Accord’s Bangladesh programme and leave the opaque and industry-led Nirapon initiative behind."