Buying Campaign to support Outworkers

In Sisterhood,

In May 1994 we reproduced an article from The Australian about the exploitation of women in the textile industry especially outworkers. The Textile Clothing & Footwear Union of Australia (TCFUA) has continued its campaign to improve the conditions of home based workers.

Outworkers, mainly women from non-English speaking backgrounds, are working in Australia for as little as $1 to $2 an hour. They make up clothes for well-known companies in Australia. Listed below are the labels tabled at the Senate Enquiry into Outwork in the Clothing Industry Melbourne hearing in April 96. The TCFUA submitted this list of 146 labels in good faith, on the basis of information provided by outworkers who contacted them to report their work conditions, the labels they were sewing and their pay rates.

In many cases the whole family, including the children works to meet unrealistic deadlines for underpaid work.

Some strategies suggested for lobbying are:

• encourage the companies who own the labels to ensure that their products are made by award-paid labour. Point out that this could be an effective marketing tool for companies, especially since you as a consumer are concerned about this issue.
  
  
• publicise the fact that you will not continue to purchase goods unless there is an assurance that the company's products are made by non-exploited labour- in particular, free from child labour.
  
  
• copy the list and circulate it among friends and colleagues.
  
  
• write to the companies who own or sell the labels on the list. Raise your concerns as a consumer and request an assurance that they will monitor where their products are made and under what conditions.
  
  
• encourage both manufacturers and retailers to enter into ethical sourcing agreements with the TCFUA to demonstrate that they are willing to assure that their work is make by workers receiving award wages. Target Australia, Ken Done, Country Road and Australia Post have all entered into these agreements since April and are taking positive steps to address exploitation in the industry.

The TCFUA also suggest writing to the Prime Minister, John Howard and the Minister for Industrial Relations Peter Reith to express your concerns about:

• the recent decision to withdraw the funding to the TCFUA to conduct a national multilingual information campaign to inform outworkers of their rights;
  
  
• question what effect the proposed changes to the Industrial Relations Act will have on outworkers;
  
  
• question the impact of extending the waiting period for newly arrived immigrants to the Social Security safety net to two years may have in increasing the numbers of outworkers under exploitative conditions; and
  
  
• ask what the government is doing about monitoring contracts for its work to ensure that they are not being given to contractors who exploit outworkers.
  
  
• Raise your concern that the Australian Government voted against the International Labour Organisation (ILO) Conventions for Homeworkers which was adopted in Geneva in June 1996.
  
  
• Write to the Premier asking what the South Australian Government is doing about the outwork problem. Request that the State government guarantee it is not contracting work to companies who exploit outworkers.

MADE BY UNDERPAID OUTWORKERS

Since the start of this campaign Target Australia, Ken Done, Country Road and Australia Post have all entered into ethical sourcing agreements with the TCFUA and are taking positive steps to address exploitation in the industry.

GENERAL WOMEN'S & MEN'S FASHION

OUTDOOR CLOTHES

MANCHESTER

KIDS CLOTHING

GOVERNMENT/CORPORATE

GENERAL WOMEN'S & MEN'S FASHION

Adidas
Any Wear
Anthea Crawford
Ashley Taylor
Ashwood
Atelier
AustraliaHorizon
Ayers Rock Design
Big Deal
Big W
Bizwear
Black Pepper
Blacktie
Blazer
Blue Union
Box Canyon
Brainstorm
Breakaway
Brian Keith
Casual
Chase Sportswear
Chelsea Design
Cherry Lane
Ciao Babbe
Due Design
Davenport
David House
David Lawrence
Diamond Cut
Diesel
Dimension
Dresses Galore
Elle B
Ellen Tracy
Ellis & Mathews
Exacto
Expresso
Fitness essentials by Nike
For Us
Fosseys
George Gross
Greenhill
Green and Gold
Hang Ten
Harridex
Harry Who
Hound Dog
House of Stitches
Impressions
Jag
JBD by Jump
Jean Wear
Jeans West
Jelle
Jockey
Johnny Dexter
Judy's Golf Gear
Jump Items
Just Jeans
K Mart
Kamikaze
Katies
Klue
Latte
Laura Ashley
Luva Wear
Mainline
Man to Man
Mark Richard
MCD
Miss Shop
Monti
Mosquita
Myer
Nike
Noni B
NIFNAF
Ojay
OMN
Pacific Cliff
Pelaco
Pelican Trial
Perri Cutten
Portmans
PTO
Quiksilver
Reactive
Review
Rivergum-Classics
Saba
Sammi of Melbourne
Sanro
Solo
Solutions
Sportscraft
Sportsgirl
State of Art
Stitches
Stockley
Stussy
Sussan
Swiss Models
Syndicate
Tencel
The Collection
The Look
Thomas Cook
TNT
Toronto
Trisstar
Vertigo
Victory
WBZ-810
Westco
Witchery
Workout
Young Originals

OUTDOOR CLOTHES

MANCHESTER

KIDS CLOTHING

GOVERNMENT/CORPORATE

And add your own names if you know of more lables exploiting outworkers.
email us textiles@paradigm4.com.au