11 July 2003
Annie Delaney began working for the TCFUA in 1994 on a national multilingual information campaign for homebased outworkers in the garment industry. Since then she has worked to implement a broad union agenda to improve the working lives of outworkers by seeking to increase their visibility and recognition, improving their working conditions and developing relevant organizing strategies. Outworkers receive as little as $2 - $3 an hour and rarely receive any other entitlements.
 Fair Wear Protest: Annie outside the Victorian Parliament |
Michele O'Neil, Secretary of the Victorian Branch of the TCFUA, said, "Annie has made an invaluable contribution to the improvement of rights and conditions of some of the most exploited workers in Australia."
Over this period, Annie played a central role in many initiatives that have improved the lot of outworkers. The strategy has been 3-pronged: increasing community awareness of an injustice, empowering outworkers themselves, and changing the law and taking measures to enforce it. Just some of the more important initiatives have been:
- "The Hidden Cost of Fashion" - the 1995 report that for the first time documented the nature of outworking and how the clothing industry is structured around it;
- the Senate inquiry into outwork in the garment industry and the resulting development of the union/employer Homeworkers Code of Practice;
- the reading in Federal parliament of 40 company labels named by outworkers as being made under exploitative conditions;
- the initiation of "naming and shaming" retailers and fashion labels to take responsibility and be accountable for the conditions of the outworkers;
- the establishment of the FairWear Community campaign that aims to stop the exploitation of homebased workers and support the union to organize homeworkers;
- the establishment of the Union's community English language and literacy program for outworkers;
- the development of a media strategy to educate the community about the situation of outworkers and to expose companies;
- the establishment of outworker leadership training and development of the outwork organising model;
- successfully signing up 140 retailers and manufacturers to the Homeworkers Code (List of companies which have signed the agreement);
- the development and implementation of an integrated program and resources whereby outworkers learn English at the same time as they learn vocational and rights information including Occupational Health and Safety information;
- the launch of the Homeworkers Code of Practice Accreditation Scheme, which also includes the No Sweatshop label and Sewing Time Manual;
- the development of a successful model for claiming unpaid monies to outworkers;
- the development and completion of the video "20 pieces: Outworkers tell the real fashion story";
- the prosecution of over 100 companies over 5 years for breaches of the Outwork and Contract Clauses of the Clothing Trades Award;
- the passing of the Victorian Outwork Improved Protection Act 2003;
- the development and completion of "Outworkers Work Safe" - a short video for outworkers providing practical health and safety advice and preventative strategies for people working at home.