Fair Go, FairWear

By Daisy Gardener

The sewing machine features prominently in many immigrant homes across Australia.

It is a major source of income for some households. Often every member of the family will help out in making large batches of clothes, which will end up in sold in stores across Australia.

First generation immigrant women make up the majority of outworkers who sew garments from home, often for as little as $2 to $3 an hour. Their numbers are estimated to range from 50,000 to 300,000 nationally. In Australia, outworkers sew up to 90 percent of Australian Made clothes for major retailers, designers and for the firms that supply work wear and school uniforms. To fill their work orders, they often work up to 18 hours a day and 7 days a week. They have effectively replaced workers based in factories as clothing companies have found them a cheaper option.

A strong community campaign last year was able to maintain major protections under the new Work Choices legislation. But outworkers and outworker advocates now face new challenges under new Independent Contractor's legislation and the Government's attempt to rationalize awards.

Whilst the Independent Contractor Bill tabled in Parliament last Thursday protects outwork State and Territory deeming laws by admitting that the '(...) Bill may particularly disadvantage contract outworkers, who are currently entitled to employee protections(...)', FairWear are concerned that loopholes exist in the Bill that will leave the door open to unscrupulous employers.

Debbie Carstens from FairWear said of the legislation, 'Migrant women outworkers sewing in the isolation of their homes don't understand the legal technicalities of the difference between an employee and an independent contractor, but they do understand how their employers will use all available pressure and threats to convince them to accept wages and conditions below the legal minimums'.

In coming weeks the campaign will be working with the Federal Workplace Relations Minister, Kevin Andrews to address loopholes which could lead to increased vulnerability for outworkers in the Bill, before amendments are brought to the autumn session of Parliament.

Eureka Street online Posted 27-6-06