Fit for Fair: Global Learning for Decent Work in the Sportswear Industry

Organisations from Bulgaria, Moldova, Germany, Romania, Slovakia and the UK have joined their efforts to work on the problem of poor working conditions in the garment industry in less developed countries. The three-year project “Fit for Fair” aims to develop a critical approach to buying sportswear by the consumers in the developed countries and thus it is expected to improve the working conditions for the workers who produce these goods.

The project includes a strong gender aspect since the workers of garment industry are mainly women. The initiative is a tool for bridging the cultural gap related to decent work in various countries of European Union and beyond. The activities within the project are to provoke a change of the mindset and behaviour patterns of youth and teenagers as a result of increase of understanding of the human costs related to the production of high quality sportswear. The project is designed to benefit both: developed and developing countries by providing insights into the differences between the ideas of labour rights and responsibilities of consumers and the workers, and thus contribute to decreasing the gap between them.

The project is jointly financed by the European Commission and other sources and it will be implemented by partner organisations including Christliche Initiative Romero - CIR and Germany Gender (D), Education, Research and Technologies Foundation – GERT (BG) Labour behind the Label (UK) Slovak Centre for Communication and Development and Slovakia Gender - Centru (SK), Gender Centrum Moldova and AUR – National Association of Human Resources (RO). GERT and AUR will create a multiplier effect with respect to the distribution of learning approaches, contents and materials in other Eastern European EU member states.

For more information please contact Jivka Marinova from GERT at: gert@mbox.contact.bg

Source: KARAT Newsletter from 6th of May 2013