Maid in India

Maid in India
Executive summary
Introduction
In Tamil Nadu, South India, textile and garment products for big brands and retailers are being
made by girls and young women from low caste backgrounds under exploitative working
conditions. Workers are recruited from poverty-stricken areas within as well outside of the state of
Tamil Nadu. A large number of these labour migrants live in (factory) hostels where they have
almost no opportunity to interact with the outside world. Workers are expected to work long hours
of forced overtime, sometimes up to 24 hours a day under unhealthy conditions.
This report, ‘Maid in India’, follows the report ‘Captured by Cotton’ 1 , published by the Centre for
Research on Multinational Corporations (SOMO) and the India Committee of the Netherlands (ICN)
in May 2011. ’Captured by Cotton’ revealed that a great number of workers were employed under
the so-called ‘Sumangali Scheme’. Under the Sumangali 2 Scheme workers are recruited with the
promise that they will receive a considerable amount of money after completion of three to five
years of employment. This amount can be used to pay for a dowry. This exploitative scheme is
tantamount to bonded labour, because employers withhold part of the workers’ wages until they
have worked there for three to five years. In addition it was found that workers are severely
restricted in their freedom of movement and privacy.
The current report provides an update of labour conditions in the Tamil Nadu garment and textile
industry and examines the current situation at the four garment manufacturers originally
investigated for ‘Captured by Cotton’, i.e. Bannari Amman, Eastman Exports Global Clothing,
K.P.R. Mill and SSM India. In addition, the report looks into what efforts have been undertaken by
various parties to achieve improvements. It also presents an overview of recommendations on how
to continue to improve conditions.
This report aims to provide relevant stakeholders – manufacturers, buying companies, trade
unions, local and international civil society organisations, governments and others – with food for
thought to enable and spur further action. On the basis of the field research and analysis of
promises and actual steps taken by the industry and other relevant actors, conclusions are
formulated, as well as practical recommendations.
Findings
The findings of the research show that, to varying degrees, improvements have been implemented
at the four manufacturers since the publication of ‘Captured by Cotton’. One manufacturer has
stopped using the Sumangali Scheme in all its operations. Another manufacturer has phased out
the Sumangali Scheme in its end-product facilities. Improvements regarding freedom of movement
have been reported at all four manufacturers. Permission to leave the hostel accommodation is
granted more easily and sometimes groups of women are allowed to go shopping unaccompanied.
1
2
Centre for Research on Multinational Corporations (SOMO) and the India Committee of the Netherlands (ICN), ‘Captured
by Cotton – Exploited Dalit girls produce garments in India for European and US markets’, Amsterdam, the Netherlands,
May 2011, < http://somo.nl/publications-en/Publication_3673 >
The Tamil word ‘Sumangali’ refers to a married woman who lives a happy and contented life with her husband with all
good fortunes and material benefits.
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