The garment and textiles sector is marked by fragmented supply chains and diffuse responsibility. Human rights (and environmental) due diligence (HRDD) is an important way to combat this and to ensure that responsibility is taken where it is due. One important step of the HRDD cycle is remediation, which concerns the (cooperation in) the provision of remediation of harms that are identified in the supply chain. One way of identifying such harms is through grievance mechanisms, both judicial and non-judicial, through which workers and their representatives can raise issues when their rights have been violated.  

The session will delve further into the 6th step of remediation. The key questions include: What forms can remediation take? What are the strengths and weaknesses of different avenues? What challenges and barriers do workers and their representatives face in seeking redress? How far does a company’s responsibility to remediate extend? Who must be involved to ensure meaningful remediation? And crucially, what does a worker-centric approach look like? 

We will examine real cases through multiple perspectives—fashion brands, trade unions, litigators, grievance mechanism operators, and academics. Examples may include workers denied severance after dismissal, excessive overtime under coercion, and large-scale factory closures where outstanding wages and benefits went unpaid. These cases will be unpacked to assess what worked, where challenges arose, and how remedies might be strengthened.