Exploring Enforcement of Core International Labour Standards in Textile and Apparel Industries in Ethiopia: An Appraisal of Practice at Hawassa Industrial Park

Abstract

With a view to win the fierce competition for Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) nations have
been proactively crafting possible attractive conditions that would usher foreign investment.
The race for attracting international investors has the knock-on effect of lessening minimum
labour conditions standards. Despite the government’s commitment to attract investments,
the emerging industrial parks are now being under scrutiny for abuse of fundamental
workers’ rights. This article assesses enforcement of protection of core labour rights in
Hawassa Industrial Park (HIP). The article is qualitative in approach and doctrinal in form.
The Study reveals that the general working conditions in the Park is exploitive and deviate
from the ILO (International Labour Organization) standards.