Embroiderers' union protects homeworking conditions in Madeira

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1998 has seen a number of changes to the regulation of working conditions for embroiderers who work at home in the Portuguese region of Madeira.

In Portugal's autonomous region of Madeira, about 15,000 women registered with the Institute of Embroidery, Rug-making and Handicrafts of Madeira (Instituto dos Bordados, Tapeçarias e Artenato da Madeira, IBTAM) are engaged in embroidery work in their homes. The importance of this work is highlighted by the fact that in Madeira, there are only 5,689 people working in company plants in the entire industrial sector, comprising only 13.8% of the region's total number of people working in companies ("Quadros de pessoal", Direcção Regional da Madeira (1996)).

Homeworking (trabalho domiciliário) in Portugal is regulated by special legislation. In the case of Madeira, this is Regional Decree-Law no. 12/93M of 23 July 1993, which has been in the process of being revised in 1998 (the new version is currently in publication). Under the regulations, IBTAM is in charge of negotiating and managing working conditions. The law outlines the rules for payment, which is calculated using a "table of points", and also provides for an annual productivity bonus and rules on young workers, health and safety and the relationship between the embroiderers and those that give out the work

Although trade unions in Portugal usually represent only salaried employees, the Union of Embroidery Industry Workers of Madeira (Sindicato dos Trabalhadores da Indústria de Bordados da Madeira) represents home embroidery workers almost exclusively, since the companies concerned do not directly hire their own embroiderers. The union has participated actively in regulating homeworking conditions by negotiating, on a yearly basis, an updating of the "point tables", new payment regimes (monthly payment of bonuses that had previously been paid once yearly), other working conditions and social security. The changes now underway in regulations governing home embroiderers also provide for an increased role for the Madeira Regional Labour Inspectorate, penalties for violations and vocational training.

Law 14/98 of 4 of March 1998 recently went into effect, establishing the retirement age for home embroiderers at 60 after 15 years of service (the normal retirement age is 65).