Concern for production... Can it be translated as theway people are paid for making garments?

 

One big concern for people involved in apparel manufacturingis, "What would be the right amount of wages for the apparel workers?"Now, this concern grows to reach the next level.


Millions of workers all over the world are under paid andmillions of dollars are stolen from them by unscrupulous employers. A surveyreport about the workers state that 26% of the workers are paid less, and 60%of them are paid just one or less than a dollar for an hour. Most of the lowwage workers are vulnerable to wage theft, where they are made to work more andare paid very less, or they are not paid for their overtime work. In someindustries, workers are made to work for even up to 80 hours for a week withoutproper overtime payments. Female workers are more prone to wage violationcomparatively over male workers.


Wage Theft in the Apparel Industry:


Apparel industry is known for its payment on piece ratesystem, where workers are paid on the basis of the number of garments theycomplete. This makes it possible for the manufacturers for easy exploitation ofwages. Workers are made to work for long hours of work with commensurateremuneration. Referred to as sweatshops; these atrocious working conditionsexist in the developed, as well as developing countries. Sweatshops prosper ontheir contracts with multinational companies. The involve working with cheapmanufacturing costs, and lax labor laws. Workers here are made to work for longhours under dangerous and inhuman working conditions.


Potential Remedies:


Many NGOs are involved in exposing cases of underpaid labors. Many bigindustries have faced accusations of underpayment of wages. As the wage debatesreach the next level, calculations are done and a minimum amount is decided,below which a worker wage cannot be paid. In India the proposed floor wages are1.6 times higher, whereas in Sri Lanka it is three times higher. In Bangladesh, the proposed wages are more than six times higher.


The main challenge is to make the manufacturers accept thenew wage system. Major industry players should develop co-ordination amongstthemselves and follow ethical working practices. Brands and retailers shouldalso be persuaded to accept this practice.


Apart from the manufacturers and retailers, consumers canalso play their role in encouraging this waging practice. By coming forward topay slightly higher amount for their apparels, they can aid the livelihood ofthousands of unseen workers. There is also a growing concern among consumers aswell about the working conditions in which apparels are manufactured.Anti-sweatshop campaigns are initiated to boycott the use of garmentsmanufactured in sweatshops, despite they carry high profile brand names.


Industry experts believe that this system of wage practicewill encourage wage competition among the suppliers, and stop the retailers indriving down the pay. Though companies will not suddenly start paying thiswage, it is optimistically expected that positive changes are likely to happenin the near future.


References:

  1. http://laborrightsblog.typepad.com
  2. http://www.organicconsumers.org