§ 22. Mr. Bill O'BrienTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development what action her Department takes to encourage employers in developing countries to pay wage levels to their employees which would help eradicate poverty in those countries; and if she will make a statement. [23880]
§ Clare ShortWe made clear in our White Paper that we are working for the world wide acceptance of core labour standards. This includes a commitment to the principle that workers must be suitably rewarded for their work. We are promoting this in several ways, including through the ILO where we have recently agreed to provide resources for their More and Better Jobs for Women Programme.
In November I approved a contribution to help set up the Ethical Trading Initiative (ETI) which will bring together the private sector, development NGO's and unions to work on the codes of practice many companies have for the goods they import. The codes incorporate ILO core standards and, among other things, aim to ensure that workers making the goods we buy are properly paid whether they work for a UK firm or for an independent supplier.