News - The Partnership for Sustainable Textiles (Textiles Partnership)

Mr. Aloysius, head of the NGO SAVE, opens the 2. MSI conference in Coimbatore, India. © FEMNET

Report on the trip to 2. Annual conference of MSI Tamil Nadu in India, supported by the Partnership Initiative of the Textile Alliance

Important progress has been made by the multi-stakeholder initiative Tamil Nadu (MSI-TN) over the last 1.5 years – this was clearly visible at the conference on 6 February 2020, which was attended by around 140 people.

In Coimbatore, all stakeholders came together for the dialogue: Representatives from politics and business – in particular the numerous spinning mills in Tamil Nadu – as well as employees of NGOs, trade unions, business associations and (inter)national organisations. They all outlined their perspectives and expectations for multi-stakeholder partnerships. Right at the beginning, Mr. Aloysius, Convener of MSI-TN, founder of the NGO SAVE and partner of FEMNET: "Change is possible and takes place." Particularly gratifying was the participation of government departments at district level, which are responsible for monitoring working conditions in the spinning mills and living conditions in the hostels where the young girls are housed. The German delegation this year included BMZ, KiK, Otto Group, Brands Fashion, FEMNET, TransFair and the Secretariat of the Textile Alliance.

Working groups per district (Erode, Tirupur, Dindigul and Coimbatore) discussed the action plans for 2020, focusing on the following topics:

  • Prevention and Remedy of Harassment of Women in the Workplace
  • Better living conditions in factory accommodations for women
  • Social security and state benefits for workers
  • Labour rights to promote sustainable growth

Prior to the conference, the German delegation was briefed by MSI TN staff on progress and implementation issues. In around 180 spinning mills, there are now training courses for employees, in which more than 15,000 workers are informed about their rights and internal complaint committees are set up; However, it is still difficult to get access to new factories. More than 40 meetings were held in all four districts on the above-mentioned topics, in which the various stakeholders - companies, trade unions, government, NGOs - participated. This exchange was new for many and leads to better mutual understanding in the long term.

The delegation also visited two spinning mills and was able to speak with elected representatives of the Complaints Committees in the spinning mills.

The Alliance initiative pursues long-term systemic improvements in working conditions, especially for young women in the textile and clothing industry Tamil Nadus, with a particular focus on spinning mills. HUGO BOSS, KiK, Otto Group, Tchibo, FEMNET, BMZ, TransFair and Brands Fashion are working together on site.

More information

On the website of the Alliance for Sustainable Textiles you will find a detailed report of the visit and the conference with more photos.