Child-and-adult-labour-in-the-export-oriented-garment-and-gem-polishing-industry-of-India

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Child and adult labour in the garment export industry of Tirupur
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was running from one side to the other and, even harder when the children came in sight.
In the end, the exporter from Bombay told me that Azo-dyes were still used by Indian exporters
and manufactures. The garments with the Azo-dyes are exported to countries where no ban on
Azo-dyes exists. He said 'Germany is acting stupid with their 'sudden' demand for a ban on Azodyes
in garments. It's all politics. I'm no longer dealing with Germany'.
The exporter from Bombay complained about the foreign buyers who pay bad prices. He complained
about C&A, who was paying a bad price, according to him. When I asked him how much
C&A was paying him per garment he replied 'on an average C&A pays US$ 2-3 per piece'. That
is how I found out that C&A is (possibly) one of his clients. The Bombay exporter had told other
sources I know that, on the contrary, C&A is not one of his clients, while he emphasized at that
time that he did not employ children.
Though the exporter from Bombay can state to clients in Bombay that he is not making use of
child labour, he cannot guarantee that for the manufacturing unit(s) where he subcontracts the
work to in Tirupur. This is an illustrative example of shifting of responsibilities - to take care of
labour conditions and circumstances - from the exporter to the managers and owners of
subcontracted units. This phenomenon is partly caused by the structure of the garment industry.
The majority of the units, whether registered or unregistered, are not checked upon their owner's
compliance with labour and factory laws.
Case III
This knitwear manufacturing unit is owned for 30% by an exporter in Bombay. Over the last ten
years the Bombay office has built up exclusive relations in Tirupur. The manager of the Bombay
office had come from Bombay to show me the unit in Tirupur. Though he showed me the unit in
Tirupur, he did not know the details of the manufacturing unit in Tirupur. He explained that in
Bombay mainly sampling is done which is also partly his job. The real manufacturing takes place
in Tirupur. It means that in Bombay the high quality and exclusive garments are produced and in
Tirupur more 'bulk' products like T-shirts, nightwear and boxer shorts. From Tirupur the garments
go by truck to Bombay from where they are shipped to foreign countries. The orders are
placed in Bombay.
During my visit, the manager from Bombay did not want to answer questions related to (child)
labour such as level of wages, ages and statutory benefits and questions regarding the use of Azodyes
in garments. He gave no specific reason for this.
The unit in Tirupur is a direct exporter and supplier to the Bombay office. The staff of the unit in
Tirupur speak Hindi and come from Bombay. In the unit work around 200 to 300 people. The
turnover is Rs 4 crores per year. The garments which are manufactured in Tirupur are: nightwear,
basic T-shirts, service knitwear, children's wear. The garments are made of all kinds of fibres but
the bulk is cotton. The rest of the clothing is made of cotton-viscose and other man-made fibres.
The foreign clients from the Bombay office are from France (50% of total exports), Germany
(20% of total exports) and the rest of the exports (30%) is divided among Belgium (C&A), The
Netherlands (Maxi (directly)), Sweden, United Kingdom (Ethel Austin) and Australia.