Australia : Ethics out of fashion in the clothing industry

Clothing outworkers and their supporters from the Fairwear Campaign will protest on Wednesday outside Queensland Parliament over the LNP’s  repeal of a code of practice which acts as a protection for their already-low wages.
Textile, Clothing and Footwear Union of Australia National Secretary Michele O’Neil said repealing the mandatory code of practice for home-based clothing outworkers would allow a return to a previous era of exploitation.
“We are concerned that the LNP thinks ethics are out of fashion in the Queensland clothing industry,” she said
Clothing outworkers will speak out against changes to the code of practice to clothing industry laws at 10am Wednesday 28 November outside Old Parliament House in George St. They will seek to make a presentation to the Premier reminding him about the importance of the code.
They will be joined by Rev Kaye Ronalds, Moderator of the Uniting Church Queensland Synod, TCFUA Secretary Michele O’Neil, Dr Jane O’Sullivan – Fairwear and QCU President John Battams.
Ms O’Neil said outworkers in Queensland were often paid just $5 to $7 an hour and received no annual or sick leave, superannuation and found it difficult to access workers’ compensation.
“There are thousands of home-based outworkers toiling away in their garages or lounge rooms assembling garments. This code is an important protection for their livelihoods,” she said.   “The LNP has bulldozed through this change without a thought for the impact on our most vulnerable workers, mostly from migrant backgrounds. The code is not red tape – it’s about ensuring transparency and fairness,” she said.
The key feature of the Code is the requirement for transparency throughout clothing supply chains by identifying every person involved in the production of a garment.  This includes where an outworker has been used and who their employer was. This information is critical for checking whether outworkers are receiving their proper entitlements and are otherwise being treated fairly.
Queensland Council of Unions President John Battams said the Code of Practice was a critically important law protecting outworkers from exploitation.
“There is a voluntary Ethical Clothing Australia code, which reputable employers such as Cue, adhere to. Apart from that, now that the LNP has removed the mandatory code there is now significantly less protection in Queensland for these workers,” he said.
The Code was formulated under the previous Labor government with the strong support of unions, church and faith groups and community organisations (including Fair Wear) with an interest in protecting the rights, wages and conditions of clothing outworkers.
“We urge the government to reconsider these changes which will disadvantage an already vulnerable group of workers,” he said.

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