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| Informal
garment workers unaware of rights The study by Transnationals Information Exchange - Asia (TIE-Asia) and Working Women Worldwide (WWW), UK, along with local garment worker associations, released recently shows that while women may enjoy some aspects of this type of work, it may also be the only alternative available for them to earn an income. "It is also important to note that just because women want to or need to work from home does not mean that they should be forced to accept work that is poorly paid, irregular, unsafe and unregulated, " noted the study on "Women working in the informal sector in Sri Lanka and producing clothing and accessories for export". It said the research study conducted over a 12-month period also uncovered further details into the subcontracting processes of major brand labels and transnational corporations (TNCs). The study is part of a worldwide project organised by Working Women Worldwide of Manchester University, tracing linkages from TNCs throughout the garment subcontracting chain. While the garment industry has been the focus of numerous researches in Sri Lanka, the specific sector of informal workers producing for export, has not been researched in detail, the report said, adding that it is important to highlight the issues and needs of mostly women workers in this area. It said one of the key outcomes of this research was that workers in the informal sector, whether home based or employed in a small enterprise, want to know about their rights. Sri Lankan labour laws apply to workers in the informal sector, however, it is rarely applied. The report said 185 people were surveyed from approximately 160-170 workplaces, including small factories of between 5 to 100 workers, as well as those who are self-employed, or employ a small number of workers in their home. Women, mostly in the 18-30 years age group, dominate the sector and most have been working for between 1-5 years. Most are employees at these workplaces. "However, we learnt that workers are being told they are self-employed by their employers, in order to avoid their legal obligations of paying EPF, etc, and renege on all other employer responsibilities towards workers," it said. Mostly parts of various garments and some accessories such as bags are produced. Some workers are involved in the final stages of production such as checking or the cutting of thread, or attaching buttons and zippers. Most do not produce the same type of garments all the time, depending on orders, which vary according to the season. Quality control is an important aspect of this work, and nearly all those interviewed were required to redo damages or mistakes again, but without getting paid for this extra work. An average day for a worker is around eight hours plus two hours overtime. Most are paid for doing overtime, though there were discrepancies with regard to quality control, as mentioned above. Payments are made monthly, and for the most part made on time, but few receive benefits of pension or superannuation funds, such as EPF (Employees' Provident Fund) and ETF (Employees' Trust Fund). Salaries are considered not enough to live on. Many spend all their earnings every month, and some are not able to make ends meet. Wages are spent on essentials only - food, lodging, medicine - with little, if any, left over for savings, entertainment or luxuries. Few workers were able to provide the names of labels they were producing. The majority of workers had no idea, or could not recall the label names. However, the research resulted in preparing a detailed map of the subcontracting chain for UK-based multinational NEXT. Other labels mentioned were: Tommy Hilfiger; Liz Claiborne; Gap plus Old Navy; Wal-Mart; Polo; Victoria's Secret; Adidas; Timberland; Hudson Bay and Ladybird. Some workers were aware the garments were exported and in some instances were able to mention the countries by name. The research reveals that at face value, from the perspective of workers, the producing end of the subcontracting chain is a relatively simple process: larger factories directly giving orders to smaller factories, or to home-based enterprises, with factory management (61.5%) dominating responsibilities for coordination of work. "Time did not permit a thorough investigation into how the orders come from the larger factories - it is likely there is a middleman element that has not been openly discussed during interviews, and this part of the process may also be kept from workers," the report noted. For the few people who worked from home, they said this was the aspect they enjoyed most about their work - being able to do it while doing their household chores or looking after the children. A number of people were pleased that they did not have to travel far to get to work, and some others said they felt they had more freedom at work, the survey revealed. Coconut
producers work on joint research project
Asian and Pacific coconut producers are developing a global coconut research development programme to improve productivity and develop value added products, Dr. P Rethinam, Executive Director, Asian and Pacific Coconut Community (APCC) said. The initiative will also focus on market access and promotion, he told The Sunday Times FT following the inaugural session of the 40th Cocotech Meeting and Coconut Festival 2003 held last week. The APCC together with the Ministry of Agriculture and the government of India plan to organize an international workshop to eradicate the coconut mite, which is largely affecting India and Sri Lanka. An integrated pest management programme to control this mite and the rhinoceros beetle is to be launched, Rethinam said. Rethinam said coconut milk and coconut oil contain properties to create resistance in the body to obesity, revitalize health, and improve immunity in children and adults against various diseases such as HIV and SARS. The export of coconut products need to be increased and products improved by introducing quality standards, labeling, and proper packaging, he said. In his address to the COCOTECH Meeting of delegates from 15 member countries of APCC, Dr. Rethinam said the coconut tree could be called the "Tree of Life and Nature's Super Market". A range of coconut products has come into the marketplace, even in Europe and the USA. These include coconut health drinks and energy foods such as coconut chocolates and biscuits. Minister of
Plantation Industries, Lakshman Kiriella, speaking as Chief Guest,
said that coconut is grown in some 86 countries with a total cultivated
land area of over 12 million hectares and a total annual production
exceeding 53 billion nuts. He said the
total gamut of coconut production made a significant contribution
to the rural economies of the producing countries but it faced problems
and challenges as a commercial crop, the most serious being the
low productivity of coconut land. Most major producing countries, including Sri Lanka, have expanded their product portfolios and markets. |
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