'Behind the Label: NSW Government Clothing Outworker Strategy'
The New South Wales Government has released an issues paper titled 'Behind
the Label: Stopping the exploitation of clothing outworkers'. It details
the Government's proposals for dealing with exploitation of home based
clothing workers known as 'outworkers'.
The NSW Department of Industrial Relations is seeking comments on the
strategy. Comments need to be submitted by 3 February 2000.
The NSW Department of Industrial Relations has also published a research
report titled "Do consumers care about clothing outworker exploitation? It
indicates that there is considerable scope for mobilisation of consumers to
purchase goods that are identifiable as ethical or meeting minimum labour
standards.
Copies of the issues paper and consumer research report can be downloaded
from the NSW DIR website www.dir.nsw.gov.au/outwork or by calling DIR
Publications on (02) 9243 8774. The website also has fact sheets, links to
other homeworker sites and references for research.
In recent years, factory based production of clothing has declined and use
of outworkers has exploded. Now only a minority of clothing workers are
employed in factories. A large proportion of outworkers are migrant women.
They are a skilled, flexible and productive workforce. However their
bargaining power is reduced by factors like isolation and low English
language skills. This makes them one of the most disadvantaged groups of
workers in Australia.
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