Government's Role in Textiles Pre-Arab Spring
Government’s Role in the Textile Industry Pre–Arab Spring
December 30, 2015
Primary Article Contributor: Haliz Doskee
Team Leader: Sabrine Elejel
Keywords: Tunisia, Liberal Market, Shareholders, Labour Legislature, Gender, Foreign Investment
Tunisia’s priority during the first and mid half of the 21st century was prioritized on attracting foreign direct investment (FDI) from Europe and Scandinavia in key industries such as technology, manufacturing, and textiles. From 2000 to 2007 the period was characterized by the development of the service sectors, which showed an average growth rate of 7.2 per cent. As a recent member of the European Free Trade Agreement (joined 2005) the Tunisian government has aimed to promote a liberal legislative framework that will encourage foreign investment, accelerate privatization and deepen integration into the European and Scandinavian market. The initiative is to create a stronger Tunisian presence in the international textile and manufacturing market using the liberal open market framework. The goal is to move the Tunisian textile and manufacturing shares into the top 10%.
As a result of increased government involvement in the Tunisian manufacturing industry the manufacturing and textile industry pre-Arab spring was characterised by steady growth rates; the emergence of a strong private sector, contributing to 57.1 per cent of total investment 85 per cent of exports and 91 per cent of jobs creation. Even with an influx in job creation the government did little to develop labour legislature to ensure to fare working conditions, setting minimum working periods. However, the government did implement some measures to establish gender equality in both the private and public sectors of manufacturing. The reduction of labour discrimination included the following, ban discrimination based on race, caste, origin, religion, disability, gender, sexual orientation, union or political affiliation, or age are allowed. The government took further measures to implement penal punishment for sexual harassment in the work place.
In a 2007 International Labour Organisation (ILO) Report, the committee found that although Tunisia enacted measures to decrease and eliminate child labour, drafted new legislatures implementing the Freedom of Association and Right to Collective Bargaining: whereby the employer must respect the right to form and join trade unions and bargain collectively; developed mandatory measures to ensure every worker is provided a contract and social security and must specify the wage, working hours and other bonuses and conditions, and drafted a Health and Safety Program that was to ensure that employers provide a safe and healthy work environment, the government of Tunisia did little ensure businesses, business owners, and employers were operating within the established labour laws.
Labour within the textile and the clothing industry (TCI) from 2000 to 2007 is characterised by sexist and discriminatory notions of gender that may have been influenced by cultural and traditional views of labour. Now this is not to say the industry is mutually exclusive to one gender, rather, a facet for explaining why the industry has the highest percentage of hired women between the ages of 15 and 45. However, it must be noted that this analysis of gendered labour is in no way to discredit this manufacturing sector. Rather, it is to highlight the complexity and reality of the industry. Furthermore, it acts as a stepping stone to call in into question the social responsibility of businesses and business owners.
