WASHINGTON — Jordan's labor minister, seeking to reassure U.S. apparel buyers and the public that his government has taken steps to eradicate violations in the garment industry, outlined a five-year monitoring program Thursday intended to eliminate abusive factories.
Bassem Al-Salem told reporters that his government signed an agreement with representatives from the International Labor Organization and International Finance Corporation in Oman on Sunday, paving the way for the launch of a voluntary apparel monitoring/inspection program in May.
U.S. and Jordanian authorities cast an intense focus on apparel factories that manufacture for U.S. companies, including Gap Inc., Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and Jones Apparel Group Inc., after a May 2006 investigation by the National Labor Committee revealed working conditions that did not meet the country's labor standards...