Our work in production countries - 17 April 2019 Travel report from Tunisia: Working conditions in the production of workwear Also in Tunisia, a lot of clothing is produced, fashion as well as workwear. A large proportion of exports go to Europe. Photo © FEMNET Background: Study on workwear FEMNET wants to find out what the working conditions in the production of workwear look like. In order to convince local buyers and decision-makers in public administrations even more successfully how useful it is to switch to sustainable procurement procedures, FEMNET is preparing a study on the working conditions in the production of workwear in cooperation with partner organisations in India and Tunisia. Our research revealed that information specifically on workwear is to a large extent outdated and only very scattered - a large part of the studies available today focus on fashion. We know from experience reports that in practice there are usually similar problems as in fashion production. Nevertheless, the sectors are structured differently and there are other requirements for the final products. Part of the preparations were study trips, during which the FEMNET employees Anni Korts-Laur, responsible for the coordination of the study and Katharina Edinger, responsible for later communication measures, got to know the project partners in order to ensure the safe and exact implementation of our transnational study together. In the first part of our travel reports, they share their impressions of their stay in Tunisia in October 2018. Anni-Korts-Laur will report on her study trip to India in December 2018 in the second part shortly. Study trip to Monastir, Tunisia The FTDES-Monastir team with the FEMNET speakers and textile workers. Photo: © FEMNET Our study trip to Tunisia lasted four days. For both of us, this was the first trip abroad for FEMNET, the first visit from a textile factory and the first discussions with seamstresses directly on site. The aim was in particular to get to know our new cooperation partners on site: FTDES, the Forum tunisien pour les droits économiques et sociaux (dts.: Tunisian Forum for Economic and Social Rights). Conversely, we reported on our work in Germany, the background to the local procurement of workwear and how we try to promote sustainable production methods by introducing eco-social criteria in public procurement procedures. FTDES was founded in 2011 and operates as an NGO (non-governmental organization) independent of political parties and religions. In total, FTDES has five locations in Tunisia, each with a different regional focus. In the north and east of the country there are particularly many textile and clothing factories: Mostly in the region of Monastir in eastern Tunisia, followed by the regions of Tunis and Sousse. FTDES-Monastir is therefore committed, among other things, to the fight for the rights of textile workers and against pollution of the sea. We witnessed the water pollution ourselves when we took a look at the drain pipes of some factories on the roadside, where a jeans-blue trickle flowed open from the pipes. The trip took us to the Sousse region, where, as in Monastir, there are many sewing shops, some of which produce workwear. FTDES employees told us how difficult it is for them to get information about the factories: It is difficult to talk to the employees, the break times are very tight and many company premises are monitored by camera. Sewing is forbidden to take materials outside. The NGOs are therefore trying to obtain information on which brands the supplier companies manufacture for via discarded textile residues. We were surprised to hear how far this ‘hiding game’ goes in some factories: Some seamstresses had reported that they produce garments without sewn-in signs or other identification features – i.e. the clients keep their brand secret from their seamstresses themselves. This is anything but transparent. At first glance, the numerous smaller factories are almost indistinguishable from residential buildings. Photo: © FEMNET We were shown the factories that should be examined as part of our study, in which workwear is produced for the German and European market. But we were not allowed to get off so that the cameras would not discover us, so we rolled by in the car and behaved inconspicuously. The view of the factories is different from the photos we knew from India and Bangladesh: The buildings tend to be much smaller, many of the factories are hardly distinguishable from the residential buildings right next door at first glance. Most of them are small and medium-sized enterprises, more than half of the textile companies in Tunisia have fewer than 50 employees. Large companies are considered to be the approximately 6% of the production companies with more than 300 workers, on average there are about 100 employees. About a third of Tunisian textile workers are employed by them. Since 2018, FEMNET has been delving deeper into the situation of textile workers in Tunisia for the first time. From FTDES we learned important details about the importance and development of the local textile sector, which will be essential for us to complete the study and to interpret and communicate the results later. Even during our research in advance, it was striking that much knowledge about the Arabic and French-speaking area does not overcome the language border with us. The translation between Arabic, French, English and German was our constant accompaniment. The FTDES team accompanied us intensively on the four days: They made it possible for us to visit a clothing factory and had organized two rounds of talks in their office with former seamstresses, who told us first-hand about their different experiences in the sewing shops. Conspicuously many of our interlocutors had diabetes – they reported that for years at work, during the short breaks without food, they only ate small sandwiches and sweets on the spot to bridge the long shifts. They reported high time pressure under which they worked, sometimes more, sometimes less strictly limited toilet breaks, the salary that was not enough, the reactions to union engagement, the circumstances of their dismissal. Later, the FTDES team was asked to conduct detailed interviews with factory workers in the production of workwear using a questionnaire. Based on these discussions, we were able to improve the interview questions together and eliminate misunderstandings and sources of error. The damage to the health of her work in the factory is so serious that this former seamstress at her age has not found a new job since her release. Photo: © FEMNET FTDES arranged a home visit to a seamstress who had lost her job, lost her job due to her health and older age, and was now living in poverty. A common phenomenon that we also know from Southeast Asia: The factories prefer young, healthy workers for heavy chord work and try to get rid of the older women, because at the latest from about forty years, many suffer from the health consequences of their work and are less efficient. On top of that, tax advantages and legal liability gaps favour factory closures, so that former workers, especially from the age of about 40, fall into poverty without social security in large numbers. Some of the workers told us about their sit-down strike after the closure of their factory. In the end, it did nothing. The state only supports workers who are not yet in retirement age (mid-sixty) for one year after the dismissal. Low salaries are not enough for precautionary measures. The large trade union UGTT (Tunisian trade union umbrella organisation) does not feel responsible for them, they say, as they are no longer employed. The factory owners usually own only a small part of their material themselves, reports FTDES – the building is usually rented and the machines are rented – so that there is hardly any capital left to claim compensation in the event of a closure, even if there are final judgments in favour of the dismissed seamstresses. We are shocked at how well this machine seems to work. FTDES is fighting for a change in the law that should give women access to better social security in the event of dismissal. At the end of our study trip, we visited the headquarters of FTDES in the capital Tunis. An interview with the management of FTDES rounded off the meeting between our two organisations. Our companions took a short walk to give us an impression of the capital and historical information about Tunisia. In four days we got a little insight into the country that had become the cradle of the Arab Spring. To this day, Tunisia is considered an engine for the region, but due to the poor economic situation, people have to work hard to survive. Here in Germany, most of us don't think of Tunisia when we talk about the production of our clothing. However, the textile industry remains an important sector for the local economy and the people who find work there. Occupational clothing accounts for around 13% of local textile production, and Germany is the second largest consumer of occupational clothing after France. The demand of our city administrations and companies is noticeable there and can change something. Publication of study and factsheets will take place in 2019 The study on working conditions in the production of workwear is being carried out as part of our Fair Public Procurement Project. The results will also be available in the course of the year in the form of clear factsheets. We would like to thank our sponsors for their support: The project activities are funded by Engagement Global with its service center for municipalities in the One World on behalf of the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development. Status: 04/2019
