The final declaration of the WTO summit in Hong Kong has left the fate of millions of garment and textile workers - many already facing declining working conditions and greater job insecurity - hanging in the balance.
Although the ministerial declaration leaves much to be decided, garment sector workers and campaigners are concerned that the sectoral liberalisation negotiations for textiles under the Non-Agricultural Market Access (NAMA) section, combined with the 'Swiss Formula' for tariffs that is loaded against poorer countries, will mean yet more disturbance for a sector already in turmoil.
The final phase-out of the Multi Fibre Agreement at the start of this year marked a sweeping liberalisation of the sector, which rewrote the map of competitive advantages.
As expected, production is beginning to focus in a few centres, especially China, which has seen its garment exports to the EU rise by nearly 150% in value terms, and India. Meanwhile, over 100 countries, mainly in Africa, the Caribbean and Asia, face declining exports.
There is also evidence of a depreciation in working conditions, as the 'race to the bottom' intensifies along with the competition.
The new negotiations launched at the WTO are likely simply to lead to more of the same for the industry, before the impact of this recent liberalisation on working conditions can be gauged.
Labour Behind the Label is a UK network of organisations supporting garment workers' efforts to defend their rights and improve their wages and conditions.
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