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NEWSLETTER 22, Oct 2006 Frequently Asked Questions

Do these workers want you to campaign for them?
They may lose their jobs, and now they at least earn something and have a job!

It is very important to the CCC that it is the workers' own choice to start a campaign. We only begin campaigning at their instigation and request.

Insecurity of employment is already one of the biggest problems that workers face, with or without international attention. The jobs they have are better than many alternatives. That is why so many depend on them.

But the fact that people are desperate is no excuse to exploit them. If the best an industry can offer is a slight improvement over absolute poverty then it is failing in its duties to its employees. Workers aren't getting their fair share of the benefits that they are creating for the big companies.

We welcome the fact that millions of people are earning a wage. However, this alone is not enough to lift them from poverty if employers can hire and fire at will, deny union rights, pay low wages that drive people to work inhumane hours just to survive, avoid paying sick leave and avoid observing maternity rights.

For many workers, these jobs bring hidden yet devastating costs, such as poor health, exhaustion and broken families, all of which are unacceptable and avoidable. Everyone wants a quality job that pays enough to be able to live from.

Shouldn't it be the government's job to make sure there are decent working conditions?

Yes. It is the task of governments to ensure good working conditions. Many garment-producing nations have good employment laws or endorse International Labour Organization (ILO) Conventions. The problem is that they are not properly enforced.

A major reason is that many countries where garments and sportswear are produced have to meet the demands of international bodies such as the World Trade Organization, the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank to create an environment that is attractive to foreign investment. Clothing and other light industries (shoes, toys, electronics) are a first step toward the industrialisation of a country and often figure in the restructuring policies of these bodies.

Incentives to attract foreign investors include not only low wages but also the suspension of workplace and environmental regulations. If a government does attempt to enforce regulations, it is likely that many investors will quickly pack their bags for another country that is more accommodating to them. As a result, countries compete against one another based on the lure of bad working conditions.

But it is also wrong to assume that governments can have no control over foreign investments. Not all companies pack up and leave at the first signs of regulation. So it is worthwhile encouraging governments to put pressure on companies about their employment practices and to ensure compliance. But it's also true that one government's power against (large) companies is limited. Bad working conditions are an international problem that will not be solved at a national level alone.

For more FAQs about the CCC, please visit: www.cleanclothes.org/faq/index.htm