| Recently we ambushed Oxford Street shoppers | | | | bad ventilation, overcrowded factories which |
| for a survey on ethical shopping. But as we | | | | are a fire risk and unsanitary bathrooms. 63% |
| pounded the pavements of central London we | | | | of New York factories violate minimum wage |
| found lots of shoppers asking us the same | | | | and overtime restrictions. The majority of |
| questions. Why should we care about | | | | workers in the US garment industry are |
| sweatshops? What are they? Shouldnt people be | | | | immigrant women and many are verbally or even |
| grateful for any work they can get? If they | | | | physically abused and intimidated if they |
| werent working in a sweatshop wouldnt the | | | | speak out. They can also be threatened with |
| workers be worse off? How can we change | | | | deportation. In 2002 the GMB found in two |
| things? The answers are not always clear-cut, | | | | weeks at least three sweatshops operating in |
| but we hope that this outline guide will bust | | | | the East End of London. Less than minimum |
| a few myths about sweatshop workers, owners | | | | wage, transgression of health and safety |
| and customers. What is a sweatshop anyway? | | | | regulations and excessive hours were all |
| The word sweatshop described a nineteenth | | | | cited. How low is low? For Nike workers in |
| century system where subcontractors sweated | | | | Indonesia one chicken costs more then a days |
| out profits from the difference between the | | | | wages. Childrens cough medicine is 121% of a |
| price of their product and the wages they | | | | basic daily wage and you would have to save 4 |
| paid. In the 21st Century the system is still | | | | days wages to buy a pair of jeans. But what |
| thriving. Sweatshops are generally defined | | | | can the companies do - if they put up their |
| as workplaces exploiting manual labourers. | | | | prices to pay wages, sales will fall and so |
| This refers to wages that are below the cost | | | | will jobs? The Chief Executive of The Gap in |
| of living, dangerous working conditions and | | | | 1999 earned in excess of $7,000,000 - yes, |
| arbitrary discipline such as physical and | | | | seven million dollars a year -according to |
| verbal abuse. A typical example is the Nike | | | | Sweatshop Watch, while the average worker in |
| factories in Indonesia, which according to | | | | China would be paid just 23 cents-an-hour. |
| the Clean Clothes Campaign (CCC) report in | | | | The answer doesnt seem to hard- ask the CEO |
| March 2002, paid its workers so little they | | | | to take a small pay cut. If this seems unfair |
| cannot afford to have their children living | | | | perhaps the answer is to cut the advertising |
| with them. The factory also refuses to buy | | | | budget. Global Exchange says Nike spends |
| their workers protective equipment. | | | | $560million on advertising, that means if it |
| Ironically employees making Nikes state-of- | | | | spent 2% less it could bring the whole of its |
| the-art trainers may lose their own feet | | | | Vietnamese workers wages up to a living wage, |
| because the factory will not provide them | | | | as requested by Vietnamese Labour Watch. |
| with strong shoes to safeguard them from the | | | | Cant we just boycott these companies? For |
| heavy machinery they work with. Why do | | | | most of us the knee-jerk reaction is to stop |
| people work in Sweatshops? Because they have | | | | buying products made by sweat or child |
| no other choice. Companies take their | | | | labour. But according to NGOs and The |
| factories to areas where wages are low and | | | | International Labour Organisation (ILO), |
| there is less emphasis on workers rights. The | | | | consumer boycotts can harm workers more than |
| cost of living may be less then in developed | | | | the company. When sweatshops using child |
| nations, but the minimum wage of these | | | | labour were closed in Bangladesh and Pakistan |
| countries does not even cover this. Countries | | | | through consumer pressure Save the Children, |
| such as China are particularly attractive, | | | | along with Bangladeshi NGOs, pointed out |
| not just for their low wages but also because | | | | children were merely forced into worse forms |
| of their repressive apparatus and corporate | | | | of labour. This was because children often |
| secrecy, which make human rights hard to | | | | brought in 30% of a familys income. As girls |
| patrol. In a Chinese factory contracting for | | | | were only allowed to work in domestic |
| Disney, workers were threatened or | | | | service, prostitution or brick breaking, |
| intimidated to ensure they would falsify | | | | escaping from the garment industry was not |
| their work records and lie to any groups who | | | | always an improvement. But, boycotts called |
| arrived to monitor working conditions (CCC | | | | by the workers themselves can be effective. |
| report February 2001). Foreign-owned | | | | Workers at Forever 21 in Los Angeles are |
| companies keep their costs down by not having | | | | trying to make this multi-million pound |
| sick pay, pension insurance or maternity | | | | company pay the back wages they owe them. |
| leave. If workers demand better pay, or if | | | | After working 10 to 12 hours a day for below |
| demand dries up the company has no difficulty | | | | minimum wage and no overtime in appalling |
| in packing up and leaving the country leaving | | | | conditions they are taking their employers to |
| employees destitute. Isnt it better then | | | | court and trying to ensure a fair deal for |
| unemployment? The only answer to this is why | | | | others. Further Information The easiest and |
| should there only be two choices? | | | | most effective way to help improve the lives |
| Multinational clothing companies spend | | | | of garment workers is to make sure the shops |
| literally millions of pounds on advertising | | | | you buy from know you care about how their |
| and paying their CEO each year- surely some | | | | clothes are made not just what they look |
| of this money could be spent paying workers | | | | like. |
| enough so they can buy basic necessities? | | | | |
| Sweatshops are all in the Third World ? | | | | I work for the organic clothes directory |
| right? No. According to Sweatshop Watch 98% | | | | which also sells fairtrade clothes plus |
| of garment workers in Los Angeles have health | | | | we have fairtrade articles for you to read |
| and safety problems, which could lead to | | | | or publish. |
| serious injury or even death. These include | | | | |