A 2022 report by Protex found that 70% of the textile workers in Buenos Aires identified as non-nationals, with 17% of all workers in the sector lacking identification documents. And documented or not, these workers are vulnerable to forced labour – found by a 2024 ILO report in Argentina’s garment sector, particularly in informal and clandestine workshops.
In spite of these challenges, some textile workers are determined to keep fighting for their future by forming co-ops. Union support is crucial to these efforts, they say, with the Union of Popular Economy Workers (Utep) attempting to formalise workers.
“One of the first fights has been not having representation and being alone,” says Sonia Gonzalez, a seamstress living in Buenos Aires, with 18 years of experience in the industry, four of them in the co-op. “Once organised, we were able to have some big wins within the popular economy sector.”
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