BWI scores big against FSC-certified companies in junta-ruled Myanmar

The Building and Wood Workers' International (BWI) has pressed on the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) to cancel its certification scheme under military junta rule Myanmar in which workers and trade union rights are gravely violated.  Heeding to the pressure exerted by BWI, the FSC Board has imposed strict sanctions on 42 certificate-holding companies operating within Myanmar. 

Of the 42 FSC certifications affected, 24 have been terminated, 6 invalidated, and 12 suspended. These companies are now prohibited from utilising FSC Trade License Agreements (TLAs) in their operations, effectively barring them from marketing their products as FSC-certified. BWI has demanded these actions, noting that the right to self-organisation and collective bargaining as requirement in FSC chain of custody standards cannot freely exercise under the current military regime. 

The FSC's decision was largely informed by damning findings from the International Labour Organization's (ILO) Commission of Inquiry. The ILO report detailed grave breaches of core labour conventions in Myanmar, including the suppression of freedom of association, the imposition of forced labour, and the brutal treatment of trade unionists and their leaders. Since the junta's coup, union members have faced arbitrary detentions, torture, sham trials, and even extrajudicial killings. Women trade union leaders have been subjected to horrendous abuses, including sexual violence.

Further evidence came from two investigations conducted by Accreditation Services International (ASI). These investigations uncovered significant non-compliance with FSC's labour standards among Chain of Custody Certificate Holders (CHs) in Myanmar. The certification bodies (CBs) responsible for auditing these companies were found to have failed in adequately monitoring and enforcing FSC's labour requirements, allowing violations to go unchecked.

The FSC's stringent measures were catalysed by a vigorous online campaign led by BWI and LabourStart earlier this year. This campaign, supported by nearly 5,000 trade unionists and advocates worldwide, demanded the FSC retract its previous decision to maintain chain-of-custody certificates in Myanmar despite the junta's appalling human rights record. The campaign highlighted the urgent need for the FSC to align its certification practices with its ethical standards.

BWI, together with fellow global union federations, held a “day of action” at the Broken Chair in Geneva, Switzerland in solidarity with Myanmar. It committed to push for the termination of the 12 remaining suspended certificates and four remaining valid still under review as companies cannot fulfil the requirements of the FSC Core Labour Requirements.