Maid in India

Maid in India
Local trade unions
The role of the local trade unions is very limited. Very few of the garment factories or spinning mills
in Tamil Nadu are unionised. The four vertically integrated manufacturers that feature in this report
also do not have unions. The unions which do exist are generally marginalised. In addition, trade
unions have traditionally focused on the male, permanent workforce. Generally speaking, Dalit
women are not represented in and do not feel represented by the trade unions. Nonetheless, trade
unions have been campaigning for changes in the Industrial Employment Standing Order Act. They
are also involved in promulgating more regulatory laws and collective bargaining agreements for
the spinning industry. AITUC, ATP, CITU, HMS, INTUC, LPR and MLF are among the unions that
are struggling hard to organise the workers in spite of resistance coming from the employers’ side.
However, not all trade unions are on the same page concerning labour issues and how to address
those with employers.
Tirupur Steering Group (TSG)
In November 2006, the Tirupur Steering Group (TSG) was formed, an informal network of four local
NGOs and four local/national trade unions set up to make social audit process more effective in the
Tirupur garment cluster. Solidaridad, a Netherlands-based international network organisation 45 , has
been instrumental in setting up TSG. In September 2008, the international not-for-profit
organisation Prakruthi assumed the responsibilities of the Tirupur programme with the support of
Solidaridad. 46 According to Solidaridad, TSG was amongst the first bodies to highlight the issues of
the Sumangali scheme and to conduct research to understand exploitative practice and it has
come out with a statement on the elimination of exploitative practices in South Indian textile
industry. 47 Solidaridad writes that TSG believes that the textile industry is very important in
providing employment opportunities for large numbers of people, especially women. Moreover,
TSG believes that ‘there is nothing wrong with a Bonus Scheme to attract and retain workers,
provided the scheme meets minimum standards as set out in Indian labour laws and fundamental
rights of the individuals’ 48 . Furthermore, TSG believes that the key stakeholders in the textile
industry ‘need to come together to identify key issues in implementation of this scheme and how it
can be made more meaningful and purposeful for employees as well as employers’. 49
It is not clear how well established the TSG really is. None of the other actors attribute importance
to the TSG.
3.2. Industry initiatives
There are a number of initiatives involving brands, retailers and suppliers that aim to address
abuses under the Sumangali Scheme. What follows first is a factual presentation of these
initiatives. Second, an assessment of the initiatives provided. The initiatives that we are looking into
in this report can be categorised into 4 groups:
45
46
47
48
49
Solidaridad About us: http://www.solidaridadnetwork.org/about-us. Solidaridad founded the fashion brands Kuyichi and
100% Organic Cotton, in an effort to demonstrate that sustainable garments and textiles are a viable business model.
Solidaridad also works on a project basis with other brands, including Levi Strauss & Co and H&M, with the objective to
create sustainable supply chains. Solidaridad established the Made-By network of brands. Full members include Claudia
Sträter, Ted Baker and Jackpot. Solidaridad SustainableTextiles; http://www.solidaridadnetwork.org/textiles.
Evolution of the Tirupur Steering Group: http://tirupursg.org/Evolution_of_the_TSG.html.
‘Update on Solidaridad’s work in South Indian textile industry on Sumangali’, email by Solidaridad, 2 April 2012.
Ibid.
Ibid.
46