Africa’s Clothing and Textile Industry: The Case of Ramatex in Namibia

Africa’s Clothing and Textile Industry: The Case of Ramatex in Namibia

Namibia’s experiences with Ramatex to date point to the urgent need to ensure (at the very least) compliance by foreign investors with Namibian laws, regulations, workers’ rights, as well as environmental, health and safety standards. Experiences elsewhere have shown that compromises on social, environmental and labour standards in the name of international competitiveness have led to a ‘race to the bottom’. The Namibian government as well as trade unions will have to demonstrate that they are serious in defending these rights that were only won through long and bitter struggles. It will be crucial to demonstrate to Ramatex that Namibian laws, regulations and rights are not negotiable. Otherwise, Ramatex will set an example for others to follow, resulting in the loss of some achievements made by Namibian workers since independence. in: Herbert Jauch / Rudolf Traub-Merz (Eds.) - The Future of the Textile and Clothing Industry in Sub-Saharan Africa (Bonn: Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung, 2006)

Herbert Jauch

http://www.fesnam.org/pdf/2006/reports_publications/Jauch_AfricasClothing_TextileInd2006.pdf

Friedrich Ebert Stiftung

2006

© Friedrich Ebert Stiftung, 2006

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