Aim of the Field Research

Transcription

1 International Center for Development and Decent Work ICDD University of Kassel, Germany Field Research Report: M.A. Thesis Research Grant Programme 2018 Field Research Report- Mitta, Gifawosen Markos Place of the Field Research: Hawassa and Addis Ababa, Ethiopia Time Period: 3 rd May 2018 to 1 st July 2018 M.A Research Topic: Labor Rights, Working Conditions and Workers Power in the Emerging Textile and Apparel Industries in Ethiopia: A Case of Hawassa Industrial Park 1st Supervisor: Dr. Alexander Gallas, University of Kassel, Germany 2nd Supervisor: Abstract The textile and apparel production is a springboard for national development and often conceived as the starter industry for countries engaged in export-oriented industrialization (Gereffi and Frederick, 2010:1). Since the early 1970s, the sector has shown a massive expansion by providing employment to millions of workers in developing countries of the world. The combination of national governments interest to embark on industrialization and the global capital interest of lowering production cost has been contributing the most to this expansion. This trajectory, however, has been making the national governments roll back legal protections for workers and, at the same time, it is pushing companies to shift their production to wherever wages are lowest and unions are weakest (Seidman, 2007). The rolling back of the legal protections for workers is supported by ideas produced by leading economists like Hans-Werner Sinn, who claims that the labor markets under the stranglehold of the trade unions are stumbling the creation of employment opportunities (Sinn, 2005:143 and 150 cited in Dörre, 2011: 24). In the recent times, with labor becoming expensive and regulatory standards are getting relatively stronger in Asian countries, global textile and apparel producers started to look for alternative locations in developing countries where they could locate their industries (Yost and Shields, 2017:6). It is in this circumstances that Ethiopia is showing the potential to become a global textile and apparel sourcing hub. In the effort to participate in the global production network and eventually enhance the manufacturing sector, the Ethiopian government has built eight major industrial zones (Export Processing Zones, EPZs) in different parts of the country. These EPZs are already attracting massive investment in the country mainly in the Textile and Apparel production.

2 Nonetheless, according to Yost and Shields (2017: 6), low production cost encouraged by the abundant and cheap labor force, lack of minimum wage, and labor regulatory schemes that are stronger in law than in practice represent a key driver for global companies in the sector to establish operations in this country. Thus, in the situation of the government s effort to boost the industrial growth and making the country the textile manufacturing hub of Africa, the labor rights are under risk and their interests are getting endangered. Therefore, it is the objective of this research to find out how the working conditions and the respect of labor rights are in the EPZs and how the workers respond to grievances around their work taking a case study of the Hawassa Industrial Park (HIP), which is specializing on textile and Apparel production. Aim of the Field Research The issue of labor is one of the most understudied fields in Ethiopia. Specifically, almost no research has been done on the issue of labor rights and workers power in the textile and apparel industries in the country. The existing ones mostly focuses on "the impact of privatization on the unionization of workers" (Mehari, 2015), "Corporate Social Responsibilities in Relation to Labor" (Menbere, 2016), "Trade Union Rights of Government Employees" (Desset, 2013), and "Economic and Social Upgrading of The Labor in the Textile and Garment Sector in Ethiopia" (Mulubiran, 2016). Even though these academic works are of great importance to the body of knowledge in the labor studies of the country, none of them were able to see the labor movements in relation to the fast-growing investment in the textile and apparel sector. Researches revealing the working conditions and the respect of workers rights in the sector are largely missing while the concept of Workers Power is almost nonexistent in the academic works that are focusing on labor issues in the country. Thus, this study is aimed at filling this research gap in the literatures of labor studies in Ethiopia and provide an insight towards studying labor movement from a more advanced perspective in the field. To achieve this objective, this research has been developed based on a qualitative research methodology to answer the following research question; how are the working conditions and the respect of labor rights and how do workers respond to grievances around their work in the textile and apparel industries in the HIP?

3 Week 2 Week 1 Consequently, due to lack of abundant academic works in the area as well as the exploratory nature of the research questions, the collection and analysis of primary data proved to be the most appropriate method to address the research topic in question. During the field research, semistructured interviews were made with an expert, trade unionists, government officials, and workers from the few selected firms located in the Hawassa Industrial Park. The interviews were conducted in Addis Ababa and Hawassa, where the selected industrial park is located. The interviews in Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia, included key informants from the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs (MoLSA), Confederation of Ethiopian Trade Unions (CETU), and the Industrial Federation of Ethiopian Textile, Leather and Garment Workers Trade Union (IFETLGWTU). The expert interview was also conducted at Addis Ababa University. Overall, the field research has attained its objective of collecting the primary data that is needed to examine the research questions the study intends to address. Schedule of Activities Dates Activities 3 May- 9 May Arrival in Addis Ababa Travelling to Hawassa Final design of research questions as per the recommendation of the advisor Transcription of interview guidelines in to local language (Amharic) Contact and re-confirmation of the first interview Interview with the first interviewee (EVEREST Apparel Industry) 10 May -16 May Interview with the second interviewee (HELA Apparel Industry) and third interviewee (Silver Spark) Identification of second interviewees from each industries through snowballing method

4 Week 7 Week 6 Week 5 Week 4 Week 3 May May Making first contact with the interviewees and clarification of the research objective Scheduling interview time and place 24 May-30 May Interview with the workers that are selected through snowballing All the interviews with the three workers from HELA, EVEREST and Silver Spark Textile and Apparel industries that are selected through snowballing was conducted in this week 31 May- 6 June Travelling to Addis Ababa Re-confirmation of interviews with the expert at Addis Ababa University Searching for the location of the MoLSA, CETU and IFETLGWTU Looking for the right interviewees that are planned to be interviewed in the proposal Getting appointment for the interview 7 June- 13 June Interview with key informants from MoLSA, CETU and IFETLGWTU Travelling to Hawassa to contact the representative of HIP Employers Association (though the result was another appointment) Travelling back to Addis Ababa 14 June- 20 June Interview with the expert at Addis Ababa University Travelling to Hawassa Contacting the representative of employers association at HIP

5 Week 9 Week 8 21 June-27 June Re-attempt to get confirmation for interviews with employers association (via a phone call) Contacting the advisor about the situation with the representative of the employers association 28 June- 2 July Travelling back to Addis Ababa Return trip to Kassel, Germany Assessment of Field Research During the field research 10 interviews were conducted in Addis Ababa and Hawassa (see the schedule above for the detail). The interviews comprised four main target groups so as to triangulate the data in a way that could provide a comprehensive information for the analysis of the research topic in question. Workers, government officials, trade unionists, and the employers association were targeted in this regard. The interviewees responded very well to the research questions and further provided contacts as well as additional materials that could be used in the next steps of the research writing. Specifically, the interviews with the workers provided the researcher with insights which are not seen prior to conducting the field research. However, among the targets for the interview, the researcher was not able to conduct an interview with the Employers Association in the HIP due to lack of their willingness to take part in it. It was the biggest disappointment of the researcher s field stay. The researcher tried to contact the representative of the Employers Association via a phone call and in person, but the result was an appointment one after another. The researcher has made regular contacts with the advisor via during the field stay which included informing all the success and challenges that he has faced in the process. Besides, the data collected from these extensive interviews are expected to offer a massive contribution to the analysis of the research questions and thereby support the successful completion of the MA thesis in the field of Global Political Economy (GPE).

6 Experience in the Field Prior to the field research, the methodology adopted, and the questionnaire developed for the semistructured interviews were closely discussed with the supervisor and modified as per the recommendations. However, going for a field research is not an easy task at all. It requires being patient and learning through the process as the interview goes on. Prior to traveling to the field, only four interviews were scheduled as the researcher was not able to find the contact address of most of the interviewees that are purposively selected for the interview. This required the researcher to find the contact address of the interviewees and make the first contact to get an appointment for the interviews. The researcher was also made to make a slight change in the methodology after the exchange of an with the advisor. It was planned in the research proposal to conduct an interview with workers representatives in the selected three firms of the HIP, but the inquiry in the field revealed that it is the human resource department which is acting as workers representative in the firms. This made the researcher to follow a snowballing method to identify additional interviewees from the factories. Scheduling interview time with the interviewees was not an easy task as well as the interviewees were busy in their work and private life. Nonetheless, the researcher was able to carry out the required interviews with the workers in the HIP. Apart from that, it required further openness from the researcher to make the interviewees be franker in the interview as some of the them were suspicious as they are unsure of their security and fear of losing their job. All the interviews were made in the Amharic language, which is the official language of the country and nine of the ten interviews were recorded using a device. One interview was not recorded due to the unwillingness of the interviewee to record the interview, but notes were taken during the interview. Generally, the field research had a massive importance as it provided a personal and professional experience to the researcher. It enabled the researcher to see a broader perspective on the labor movement, deepen the understanding of labor relation in the country, and gave more courage and initiative to continue on specializing in the field of labor studies at the Ph.D. level. Finally, the researcher is grateful to the ICDD for the support and funding of the research and making the field visit possible.

7 References Gereffi, G., & Frederick, S. (2010). The global apparel value chain, trade and the crisis: challenges and opportunities for developing countries. Washington, DC: World Bank. Seidman, G. W. (2007). Beyond the boycott: labor rights, human rights, and transnational activism. New York, NY: ISBN: Dörre, K. (2011). Functional Changes in the Trade Unions. From Intermediary to Fractal Organization?. In: International Journal of Action Research 7, 1, pp Yost, M. and Shields, L. (2017). Ethiopia s Emerging Apparel Industry: Options for Better Business and Women s Empowerment in a Frontier Market. BSR:Paris. Menbere, A. (2016). Analyzing Social Responsibility towards Improving Labor Practice Issues in Ethiopia (Doctoral dissertation, MSc Thesis. Norwegian University of Science and Technology. bibsys. no/xmlui/handle). Mulubiran, T. F. (2016). Economic and social upgrading in Ethiopian textile and garment firms: a global production networks perspective (Master's thesis, NTNU). Redae, M. (2015). Privatisation in Ethiopia: the challenge it poses to unionisation and collective bargaining (Doctoral dissertation, University of Warwick).