In Tamil Nadu, a Dalit Women-Led Union Paves the Way to Safer Workplaces

By: WE Staff | Thursday, 7 April 2022

Following the rape and murder of a member, a campaign headed by a dalit women's trade union was successful in convincing H&M, Eastman Exports, and Natchi Apparels, Dindigul, to ensure that there is no gender-based violence against women employees in the factories where they source their products.

Thivya Rakini, state president of the Tamil Nadu Textile and Common Labour Union (TTCU), who has worked in spinning mills of Dindigul and its surrounding areas, said, “Most of the workers in the spinning mills and garment factories are dalits who endure the harassment for their families, and never speak out,” said Rakini. TTCU was formed in 2013. It now has 1,1000 members throughout Tamil Nadu.

Jeyasre, a twenty-year-old union leader, had been working night shifts at Natchi Apparels, a division of Eastman Exports in Dindigul that provided apparel to global retailer H&M. In January 2021, she was raped and murdered by her boss, who confessed to the crime. Following that, the 'Justice for Jeyasre' movement was formed in order to assist her family members in receiving recompense. However, the campaigners were threatened and intimidated as a result, prompting them to seek a more long-term solution to one of the most widespread issues in garment factories: sexual harassment. "Sexual harassment is rampant in these mills," says campaign coordinator Nandita Shivakumar.

The campaigners were joined by the Asia Floor Wage Alliance (AFWA) and the Global Labor Justice-International Labor Rights Forum (GLJ-ILRF), which helped bring international attention to the problem. They were able to strike a legal deal with H&M, Eastman Exports, and Natchi Apparel after numerous rounds of negotiations.

Eastman Exports Global Clothing, TTCU, Asia Floor Wage Alliance, Global Labour Justice-International, Labour Rights Forum, and H&M together launched the historic Dindigul Agreement last week, with the goal of reaching 5,000 workers, mostly women, in the first year.

Rakini estimates that implementation will begin in mid-April. Former Jeyasre coworkers claim they've already noticed a difference in their workplace after the deal was signed. CCTV cameras are being installed in every spinning mills. “There were times when we were scared to come back to work after Covid, because we knew the workload and harassment would be manifold, but now this past one week has given us confidence that we will have a safer workplace,” said a woman worker.