Building a Wider
Horizon With Labour
Sports goods industry in India has been growing in terms of value and quantum of export. Besides, being an important foreign exchange earner, the sports goods industry in India also provides employment to a huge number of people. Problems of workers in the sports goods in Indian industry are manifold and it is manifested in the form of insecurity of employment, low wages, low bargaining power and unhygienic and unsafe work place. This report attempts to examine the nature of export oriented sports goods industry, its linkages with international brands and markets, nature of production, organization along the value chain, production relations and working conditions at various levels and issues of labour rights violations as well as the existing mechanisms to ensure labour rights, specifically in the Indian context. It also assesses the compliance of labour standards in the soccer ball industry both in the context of existing national legislation as well as CSR initiatives.
