Promoting Fair Compensation Through Responsible Production

Women play a critical role within the global supply chain, with the International Labour Organization (ILO) stating that they comprise 60-80% of the global garment workforce. However, women in the industry continue to face real-life obstacles to fair wages, and female workers are often unduly vulnerable to wage theft and abuse.

The UN established September 18 as International Equal Pay Day to recognize the path toward reaching fair and equal pay globally. With ethically conscious buying decisions on the rise, brands and consumers are taking a deeper interest in the people who make their products.

As the world’s largest social audit and certification program for the sewn and soft goods industry, WRAP works with major brands like Jockey and Disney to ensure responsible production in facilities worldwide. WRAP only issues certification to facilities that fully comply with 12 nguyên tắc của WRAP, which cover issues such as equal pay and are benchmarked against all 11 ILO Indicators of Forced Labour. If auditors identify non-compliances, the implementation and verification of all corrective actions must take place before moving further with certification.

Principle 5 maintains that facilities will pay at least the minimum total compensation required by local law, including all mandated wages, social insurance, allowances, benefits, and premiums for overtime. WRAP’s on-the-ground regional teams allow us to work directly with facilities in major sourcing destinations to establish lawful, humane workplaces, and proper compensation for labor.

Principle 9 safeguards against threats to employees’ rights of free association and collective bargaining. This mandate includes an employee’s choice to join a workers’ association and requires facilities to implement a system for workplace grievances. For a more detailed look into Principle 9, read our blog post, “Empowering Worker Voice: Why Freedom of Association Matters“, by WRAP Senior Auditor Royeda Siddique.

WRAP’s audit and certification program actively promotes fair and lawful compensation and improves workplace standards for millions of people across the world.