Trafficking of workers and their subsequent slavery is a growing problem in the labour cost conscious global garment and footwear industry which is increasingly resorting to the use of migrant labour, including trafficked child workers. But, it wouldn't happen if there wasn't a market for it - if business simply outlawed the employment of slave labour and with big name brands taking the lead, the sector's Global Union said today.
Speaking in Bahrain during an international conference on human trafficking and slavery, Neil Kearney, General Secretary of the International Textile, Garment and Leather Workers' Federation said that the textiles, clothing and leather industries were employing more and more migrant labour from countries such as Bangladesh, India, Nepal and Indonesia for use around the world including in Mauritius, Jordan, Egypt, Malaysia and Taiwan.
“A feature of this migrant labour is that it is generally young and female with the workers involved paying large recruitment fees, travel costs and handling charges to labour brokers and agents, leaving them owing as much as US$10,000 even before the leave their home country”, said Mr. Kearney.
“These debts are usually commuted into loans secured by the surrender of their identity documents, thus condemning them to bonded labour and often indefinite slavery. Bangladeshi migrants in Malaysia, for example, have had to buy fake passports to secure their escape from the country.
“Global brands and retailers dominate the industry so hold the key to snuffing out the evil of trafficked and slave industrial labour. All need to take urgent and practical steps to rid supply chains of this modern day slavery. They can do so fairly simply by imposing contractual obligations on their suppliers to:
- meet all direct and indirect costs of labour recruitment;
- employ workers only on direct and permanent contracts
- not use any worker who had to pay recruitment, travel or handling fees
- not retain workers' identity documents and where workers ask that these be held for safe keeping ensure that they available to the worker concerned 24 hours a day
- ensure that workers are free to come and go as they please when accommodation is provided by the employer
“Nike have, since January 1 this year, imposed such requirements throughout their supply chain. Trade Unions, including the ITGLWF want to see all other brands and retailers adopting the same approach", concluded Mr. Kearney.
http://www.itglwf.org/DisplayDocument.aspx?idarticle=15705&langue=2
Print
Email