Employment and working conditions in India‘s leather industry
study focuses on manufacturing and leather production in the Ambur leather cluster in Tamil Nadu
This study by CIVIDEP India focuses on employment and working conditions in leather footwear manufacturing and leather production in the Ambur leather cluster in Tamil Nadu, India. It covers formally registered factories and tanneries that cater to the export market and generally small unregistered tanning units whose links with the international supply chain are unclear. Through interviews with 71 workers and two union leaders, CIVIDEP aimed to understand wage levels, overtime pay, the gender pay gap, working hours, production targets, and access to social security entitlements. CIVIDEP also sought to understand access to entitlements for women workers such as maternity and childcare benefits, occupational health and safety standards, access to statutory committees, freedom of association, grievance redress mechanisms, and the incidence of child labour if any.
This paper was created with the financial support of the European Union and various other funders, including the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (Rijksdienst voor Ondernemend Nederland) and Mondiaal FNV. Its contents are the sole responsibility of the authors of the Decent Leather consortium and do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union or the other funders.
