Fashion Conscience: Outworkers and the new wave of fashion savvy

Most outworkers have migrated to Australia in pursuit of a better life. They hope to find better jobs than working in the dreary factories of their home country. Instead of the promised land of opportunity, many are forced to become outworkers. They work for contractors who use bullying tactics to prevent them from receiving a fair wage with adequate working conditions. These outworkers become the silent sufferers of a vicious cycle.

Outworkers, or homeworkers, are usually women from non-English speaking backgrounds who labour over sewing machines in poor and cramped conditions, desperately trying to fill insurmountable orders for well-known chain stores. They generally earn about $3.60 per hour and work up to 19 hours a day.

FairWear Australia is dedicated to protecting outworkers and fighting for changes. Their website details many of the outworker's sad situations.

Leaving Vietnam for a better life, Hong arrived in Australia only to get employment as an outworker. She says she became an outworker because she needed money to look after her child. She has been an outworker for 22 years and hates it. "The worst thing about being an outworker is I had no sick pay, no holiday pay, no superannuation," she says.

"I hope for better working conditions and better pay. The Government needs to change the IR laws. Australians need to support the TCFUA (Textile Clothing and Footwear Union Australia), fighting for changes," Hong says.

Winnie from China, first worked in a sweatshop, then started working from home when she had her second child. "I want to give up sewing, but I don't have any choice about getting another job. Even if I can only make $100 to $200 in a week, that is very important income for my family," she says.

Winnie wants to speak out so that others would understand the outworkers' situations and the conditions in which they work. "I want the government to take steps to stop this exploitation," she says, "They must force the retailers to take responsibility for the clothes they sell. I don't want my children to experience the same injustice I have."

The movement to eradicate the exploitation of outworkers in Australia has been gaining momentum since the late 1990s. Organisations such as FairWear Australia have been campaigning to change the conditions of outworkers and are lobbying the government for laws which protect outworkers' rights.

Karrina Nolan, an active campaigner with FairWear since 1997, says that it's the loophole in the current legislation that prevents outworkers from seeking fair wages. "The loophole means that they are considered contractors and not employees, which means they don't get entitlements like sick leave and holidays," she says.

"There is separate legislation in each state which is meant to cover that, but there needs to be a federal law which will be upheld," Nolan says. "We need to nationally recognise that outworkers need protection and make sure that the industry is held accountable".

Public involvement is essential to the continuation of organisations such as FairWear. Campaign Coordinator of FairWear Victoria, Daisy Gardener, says that since 1996, FairWear has been sustained because of interest from the general public.

"We've maintained interest over the years because the conditions for outworkers haven't improved substantially," Gardener says, "New laws have been introduced but haven't had enough of an impact for our campaign to become redundant."

Gardener says Australians do show concern as to where their clothes come from. "They pay a good amount of money for those clothes and want to make sure that it's going to the people that make it."

Society has been developing a social fashion conscience for some time now. With the onslaught of information now available about where clothes come from and how they are made, Australians are starting to make a conscious effort to buy ethically. We are used to hearing about cheap labour used for brands such as Nike, and have finetuned our consumer habits to buying Australian made products. We assume this guarantees a product that has been ethically created. Yet we shouldn't be so easily fooled.

As recently as November 2006, TCFUA alleged 11 fashion labels have been exploiting outworkers. At the time of print, the legal proceedings were beginning in the Federal Court.

Gardener believes that it's a natural progression of our social conscience. "With well known brands like The Body Shop for cosmetics, people are beginning to take that next step and look at their clothing," she says, "It's really shocking what's been happening and the conditions that Australian outworkers work in."

"It's time to shop ethically and support clothing stores that have been accredited with the Homeworkers' Code of Practice." Many Australian fashion companies have been accredited by the Code, and many more are seeking to join.

Such awareness is brought about through the work of organisations like FairWear which have educated communities about the current outworker injustices and continues to gain momentum and support from the general public.

Over the last few years the fashion and consumer industries have been working towards educating people about their choices when it comes to clothing and what it is they are really purchasing. Switch radio announcer, Hannah Birchley, said that the issue of outworkers is unacceptable and the public should get involved. "If we buy ethically made and pressure retailers to sign the code then we can make a difference," she said.

It is only through public support that these campaigns are successful and the government is beginning to take notice.
For more information and a list of accredited retailers try these websites:

www.fairwear.org.au - information on how to get involved in their campaign and which retailer's are accredited with the Homeworkers' Code of Practice.

www.nosweatshoplabel.com - purchase products that are ethically made and find out about the legislation that is currently being lobbied to the government.

www.nosweatstuff.com.au - purchase ethically made clothing.