Unraveling the complexities of working conditions and unionization in Ethiopia's garment industry

Labor exploitation and rights violations are central to Ethiopia’s garment and apparel manufacturing industry, which is hailed for its potential to drive fast-tracked economic development. Workers have been trying to build unions but face challenges from both capital owners and the government. Prior studies on textile industries in Ethiopia have focused on understanding prevailing working conditions but have paid little attention to the prospects and challenges associated with unionization. This article, based on an ethnographic study conducted in Hawassa Industrial Park (HIP), the largest industrial park in southern Ethiopia, investigates the multifaceted factors and actors that hinder the development of local trade unions in garment factories. The central research question addressed is: What factors shape and constrain worker and union agency in the Ethiopian garment manufacturing sector? The findings of the study clearly demonstrate that various actors and factors influence not only the working conditions and the unionization process, but also the effectiveness of unions in the export processing zones in Ethiopia. Factors accounting for the weak unionization include the interplay of government policies that promote capitalist social relations, employer hostility toward labor rights, the ineffectiveness of sectoral trade union, and limited awareness among workers.