“Sweatshop” is the common term for workshops which pay low wages for the monotonous work of sewing ready-to-wear clothing, often for many hours each day and under strict supervision. These factories flourish in developing countries like India, Vietnam, Mexico and China, where other work is scarce, as well as major cities like New York, London and Sydney, where undocumented workers cannot find other jobs. Sometimes the work is done at home, usually by women whose children often help to meet production targets.
To find out more about campaigns to improve conditions for garment workers, contact the following international organizations: Clean Clothes Campaign (SKK): An international collective of organizations working to raise awareness of labor rights and environmental effects in the clothing and sports shoe industry. SKK is calling on the industry to respect the norms of the International Labor Organization, pay decent wages and promote independent monitoring of working conditions. See also: www.schonekleren.nl.
No Sweat: A visionary British organization supporting workers’ right to organize and closely connected to the anticapitalist branch of the alternative globalist movement. See also: www.nosweat.org.uk.
Co-op America: This American organization, which believes in the power of consumers and investors to promote societal change, is working to bring a “sweatshop-free economy” one step closer and offers useful information, including “Sweatshop Myth-Busters,” on its website. See also: www.sweatshops.org.
