AttitudeAttitude

of the Societyof the Society

Consider as low-educated

Not spending a luxurious life

Physical appearance(beauty)

Consider as corrupted and unsuitable for marriage

Why they engage with this?Why they engage with this?

Unemployment

Poerty

No need wor!ing experience

"asy to #oin

$ess "ducational %ualifications

&egular and timely payment of wages

'atisfactory $iing conditions

(
)ccommodation arrangements
(
'anitary facilities

*etter wor!ing conditions

Physical security

+ob security

"stablish operatie Union

India's
clothing
workers:
' T h e y s l a p u s a n d c a l l u s d o g s a n d d o n k e y s '
Human rights tribunal hears allegations of abuse and low pay against clothing companiesthat
supply high street stores
S U M A , O F T H E K A R N A T A K A G A R M E N T
W O R K E R S U N I O N , G A V E E V I D E N C E O N H U M A N
R I G H T S A B U S E S . P H O T O G R A P H : G E T H I N
C H A M B E R L A I N F O R T H E O B S E R V E R
Gethin Chamberlain
in BengaluruThe Observer, Sunday 25 November 2012Workers making clothes that end u in
the stores o! the biggest names on the British highstreet have testi!ied to a shocking regime o!
abuse, threats and overty ay" #any $orkers in%ndian !actories earn so little that an entire
month&s $ages $ould not buy a single item theyroduce"'hysical and verbal abuse is ri!e, $hile
!emale $orkers $ho !ail to meet imossible targetssay they are berated, called (dogs and
donkeys(, and told to (go and die(" #any $orkers $hotoil long hours in an attemt to suort
their !amilies on overty $ages claim they arecheated out o! their dues by their emloyers"The
allegations, $hich $ill be o! concern to household names including )a,
*+#, Ne,t a ndWalmart, $ere made at a human rights tribunal in the southern %ndian city o!
Bengaluru" The(national eole&s tribunal !or living $ages and decent $orking conditions !or
garment$orkers( $as convened to investigate $idesread human rights abuses in the
garmentindustry"

Sakamma, a -2.year.old mother.o!.t$o $orking !or )a sulier Te,ort in Bengaluru, toldthe
tribunal she earned /ust 22 an hour and that $hen she !inished at the !actory she had to$ork as a
domestic hel to to u her $ages"(%t hurts us to be aid so little" % have to do this and they sell
one iece o! clothing !or morethan % get aid in a month,( she said" (We cannot eat nutritious
!ood" We don&t have a goodli!e, $e live in ain !or the rest o! our li!e and die in ain"(0o$ $ages
is the main reason" *o$ much burden can a $oman take1 *usband, children,house and !actory
$ork
2
can $e manage all these $ith such a meagre salary1 So $e arecaught u in the debt tra" %s there
no solution !or our roblem1(0ike many o! the $omen giving evidence, she said $orkers !aced
abuse i! they !ailed to meet3uotas" (The targets are too high" They $ant 150 ieces an hour"
When $e can&t meet thetargets, the abuse starts" There is too much ressure4 it is like torture" We
can&t take breaks ordrink $ater or go to the toilet" The suervisors are on our backs all the time,(
she said" (They
call us donkey, o$l 5a creature associated $ith evil6, dog and insult us 7 make
us stand in!ront o! everyone, tell us to go and die"(8ccording to %ndian government !igures, the
national te,tile industry is $orth 9:5bn a yearand emloys :5 million eole" )arment e,orts
are $orth 921bn" But human rightscamaigners accuse international brands o! subcontracting to
!irms aying overty $ages tothe eole $ho make their clothes"8 sokeserson !or Te,ort
denied setting unachievable targets and said abuse o! $orkers$as not tolerated" )a said; (These
allegations describe conduct that violates our <ode o! =endor <onduct" We are looking into this
matter and $ill take aroriate action $ith ourvendors, deending on our !indings"(The 8sia
>loor Wage 8lliance ?8>W8@, $hich organised the tribunal, $ants comanies toay a minimum
living $age o! 12,0AB ruees ?91:C@ a month, e3uivalent to 5C an hour" Butthe tribunal heard
that a !actory sulying )a and Ne,t aid as little as 2B an hour" Thesulier
2
'earl )lobal, based in )urgaon, in *aryana state
2
admits it has underaid $orkers!or overtime and has re3uired them to $ork illegally long hours,
but said it had no$ reaidthem" %t insists it comlies $ith the legal minimum $age, though
evidence submitted to thetribunal by one $orker indicated that he $as aid belo$ the legal
rate"'earl )lobal $as !irst e,osed by the
Observer
!or rights abuses in 2010 $hen it traded as*ouse o! 'earl, but it has continued to oerate and
suly the brands under its ne$ name"

#any $orkers at the tribunal claimed that long hours and oor health and sa!ety conditionsmade
them ill" One $orker said that a colleague $as electrocuted by a bare $ire last year in a!actory
sulying )a" 8shok Dumar Singh, 2A, $ho $orks !or )a sulier #odelamaE,orts in
)urgaon, gave evidence that he $as aid /ust 5,0AF ruees a month ?2-"B anhour@, although the
legal minimum rate !or his /ob $as 5,:00 ruees"*e said $orkers $ere taught to lie to auditors
sent to check u on $orking conditions"(Be!ore a visit they gather all the $orkers around and tell
them $hat to say" %! $e don&t say$hat $e are told, $e are !ired,( he said, adding that some
$orkers had been dismissed a!tercomlaining to auditors about conditions"Workers $ho !ailed to
meet targets $ere verbally and hysically abused, he said" (They callus mother!uckers and ush
us around and some eole get slaed by suervisors andmanagers,( he said" (% !eel the
comanies look at the $orkers like enemies"(The tribunal, in !ront o! an international /ury, took
evidence in erson !rom $orkers and $illconsider $ritten evidence comiled at regional
hearings")a and Ne,t $ere accused o! using suliers that aid belo$ the minimum legal $age,
aidbelo$ the legal rate !or overtime, and re3uired $orkers to $ork e,cessive and
illegalovertime" They also !aced allegations, along $ith *+# and Walmart, o! using suliers
thatverbally abused sta!!, $hile there $ere allegations o! hysical abuse against a sulier
!or)a, *+# and Walmart"*+# sent reresentatives to the tribunal and insisted it $as
committed to imroving $orkingconditions" (The social and environmental resonsibility that
$e take uts *+#&ssustainability $ork ahead o! the !ield in the !ashion industry $orld$ide,(
said asokes$oman" (We clearly see these issues as industry roblems that need to be addressed
atindustry level by government, suliers, trade unions, $orkers, buyers, etc"(8 sokesman !or
Ne,t said; (Ne,t identi!ied that 'earl )lobal $as !alling $ell short o! thegrou&s standard codes
o! ractice in 2010" 8s a result, Ne,t ceased using this sulier in2011, a!ter making a
determined e!!ort to bring about ma/or change at 'earl )lobal" Ne,t lastrevie$ed the sulier in
Guly, $hen the decision to remain disengaged !rom it $asmaintained" Ne,t has no lans to
recommence manu!acturing at 'earl )lobal"(8nannya Bhattachar/ee, international co.ordinator
!or the 8>W8, told the tribunal thatdesite the recession the garment industry continued to bring
in ro!its" She said $orkerscontinued to su!!er (shocking, inhuman conditions( and $ere being
aid overty $ages"(Nothing can be more imortant than a decent living $age !or $orkers
$orking day and nightto clothe the $orld"(