Today we have been at IMEX, a carpet weaving organization at Shanti Niwas. IMEX was founded in 1976 by IM-SOIR. The purpose of the organization was and still are to to provide employment opportunities to unemployed women and people living below the poverty line in the locality especially women. They produced hand-made carpets made of woolen yarn bought from the local supplier.
Kalsang Dolkar is working on the administration for IMEX that is situated at IM-SOIR´s office and have participated in work-shops and got information about fair-trade but the weave master and the artisans have not participated in any work-shop or got any special information about fair trade so far. The organization does not have any kind of child labor. If needed, IM-SOIR provides training and skill improvements for the artisans. The main market is export to IM Sweden but they also have some export to other countries such as Germany, England and USA and also have local individual buyers. The producer organization export their products through IMEX to IM-SOIR Sweden.
The artisans have certain benefits working for IMEX, some of them are provided by IM-SOIR and some by IMEX. Lunch, school fees for the artisans children, school uniforms, partly paid college fees for the artisans children, fully paid medical treatment in case of sickness, a social security scheme (partly paid by artisans themselves and partly by IM-SOIR) and also gratuity that increases with the amount of years worked at IMEX is provided by IM-SOIR. IMEX support the artisans by a traveling allowance every day they attend to work, a bonus for the weavers and the trimmers according to the productivity.
We interviewed the weave master, Ved Prakash and two of the artisans, Tsering Lhamo and Lobsang Chodon. Lilian asked the questions and Youdon translated. We will maybe come up with more interviews from this place because we have the fortune to have them so close and are able to take part of their work.
Ved Prakash is IMEX weaving master that provides a carpet design through a photo from consumers that he sketches down on a big graph that the artisans can finalize in to a carpet. His work is also to provide the artisans with yarn and correct if he sees any mistakes that have been made in the weaving. There is 13 Tibetan women employees at IMEX and three trimmers. Ved Prakash tells us that he provided training for one of the employes that previously had another work. When we ask about the age of the artisans then an intense discussion starts in the weaving hall from the artisans, the finally come to that the youngest one in the weaving section is 37 years and the oldest is 63 years old in the weaving section.
Ved Prakash opinion about the working environment is that its good, if any improvements have to be made that would be a fan that have been asked for by some of the artisans. He show us the roof made of …. that lets the sun shine right trough. He says that the work can be stressful sometimes but that all depend upon how many orders the got at the moment. The artisans do not have any safe equipment but he doesn't see the need for it because the lack of occupational risks except that the artisans can get some aching in shoulders and arms.
When Ved Prakash is getting the question how he sees the future for the organization then he smiles and says
- Very good!
We sat down beside the weaver Tsering Lhamo. She started with saying on Tibetan that she is not able to say anything but agrees on participating in an interview when Tsering Youdon said that she will translate from English. Tsering Lhamo is 60 years old and does not know when she started work for IMEX.
- It is now for many many years, she says.
When she gets the question If she got any training provided from IMEX the answer is no because she already knew the work before she started so therefore it was not needed. She works from eight a clock in the morning until five a clock in the evening. When we ask if she got any benefits from working for IMEX she says no but when the questions is specified she tell us that she gets lunch, all medical treatment in the case of getting sick, a bank account for saving were a amount of 250 rupies is provided from her and the same amount from IM-SOIR. She get paid per piece and the time for weaving one carpet is depends on the design and the size. There is one thing she would like to see improve in the working environment.
- I would like a fan because it is hot in here, she says.
Lobsang Chodon is 40 years and have worked for IMEX sense 1993 or 1994, she says. She lives with her husband and children in Rajpur, close to work. She gets up five a clock in the morning and are at work at around 6 am and finish her work day at 5 pm after which she will make dinner for her family. She moved to Rajpur from Arunachal Pradesh, were she grew up. A friend that she met in Rajpur worked at IMEX and told her about a job vacancy.
- It is a god job, you should apply for it she said, Lobsang explains.
- She told me, she says in Tibetan, laughs and points at another weaver sitting close to her.
She worked previously with carpet weaving so no training was needed when she started. Lobsang Chodon is waving with a piece of paper in front of her face during our talk.
- I´m sweating, she says laughing.
Lobsang Chodon have four children at the age of 11,18,22 and 24 of which two still are in school and one is in the army, that gives some support to the family income. She gets paid by piece rate and the salary is about 2000-3000 INR per month. Her husband was previously in the army but has now retired. All the childrens school fees is paid by IM-SOIR. When she gets questions concerning the work environment then she does not understand the question and Tsering Youdon gives examples like if the light is sufficient, temperature is good, if they have the brakes and facilities needed and so on she says yes.
- Everything is good!
Concerning if there is any occupational risks connected with the work she says that there is not anything like that, but after a little bit thinking she says that it is hard sometimes for her to sit for a long time because of a knee problem which bothers her. When the time is ticking some minutes past twelve she is turning a bit smiling and we can see that we are now alone in the weaving hall, and says that she would like to go for lunch which the artisans get by IM-SOIR in a dining hall right behind the weaving hall.
Written by Lilian
Kalsang Dolkar is working on the administration for IMEX that is situated at IM-SOIR´s office and have participated in work-shops and got information about fair-trade but the weave master and the artisans have not participated in any work-shop or got any special information about fair trade so far. The organization does not have any kind of child labor. If needed, IM-SOIR provides training and skill improvements for the artisans. The main market is export to IM Sweden but they also have some export to other countries such as Germany, England and USA and also have local individual buyers. The producer organization export their products through IMEX to IM-SOIR Sweden.
The artisans have certain benefits working for IMEX, some of them are provided by IM-SOIR and some by IMEX. Lunch, school fees for the artisans children, school uniforms, partly paid college fees for the artisans children, fully paid medical treatment in case of sickness, a social security scheme (partly paid by artisans themselves and partly by IM-SOIR) and also gratuity that increases with the amount of years worked at IMEX is provided by IM-SOIR. IMEX support the artisans by a traveling allowance every day they attend to work, a bonus for the weavers and the trimmers according to the productivity.
We interviewed the weave master, Ved Prakash and two of the artisans, Tsering Lhamo and Lobsang Chodon. Lilian asked the questions and Youdon translated. We will maybe come up with more interviews from this place because we have the fortune to have them so close and are able to take part of their work.
Ved Prakash is IMEX weaving master that provides a carpet design through a photo from consumers that he sketches down on a big graph that the artisans can finalize in to a carpet. His work is also to provide the artisans with yarn and correct if he sees any mistakes that have been made in the weaving. There is 13 Tibetan women employees at IMEX and three trimmers. Ved Prakash tells us that he provided training for one of the employes that previously had another work. When we ask about the age of the artisans then an intense discussion starts in the weaving hall from the artisans, the finally come to that the youngest one in the weaving section is 37 years and the oldest is 63 years old in the weaving section.
Ved Prakash opinion about the working environment is that its good, if any improvements have to be made that would be a fan that have been asked for by some of the artisans. He show us the roof made of …. that lets the sun shine right trough. He says that the work can be stressful sometimes but that all depend upon how many orders the got at the moment. The artisans do not have any safe equipment but he doesn't see the need for it because the lack of occupational risks except that the artisans can get some aching in shoulders and arms.
When Ved Prakash is getting the question how he sees the future for the organization then he smiles and says
- Very good!
We sat down beside the weaver Tsering Lhamo. She started with saying on Tibetan that she is not able to say anything but agrees on participating in an interview when Tsering Youdon said that she will translate from English. Tsering Lhamo is 60 years old and does not know when she started work for IMEX.
- It is now for many many years, she says.
When she gets the question If she got any training provided from IMEX the answer is no because she already knew the work before she started so therefore it was not needed. She works from eight a clock in the morning until five a clock in the evening. When we ask if she got any benefits from working for IMEX she says no but when the questions is specified she tell us that she gets lunch, all medical treatment in the case of getting sick, a bank account for saving were a amount of 250 rupies is provided from her and the same amount from IM-SOIR. She get paid per piece and the time for weaving one carpet is depends on the design and the size. There is one thing she would like to see improve in the working environment.
- I would like a fan because it is hot in here, she says.
Lobsang Chodon is 40 years and have worked for IMEX sense 1993 or 1994, she says. She lives with her husband and children in Rajpur, close to work. She gets up five a clock in the morning and are at work at around 6 am and finish her work day at 5 pm after which she will make dinner for her family. She moved to Rajpur from Arunachal Pradesh, were she grew up. A friend that she met in Rajpur worked at IMEX and told her about a job vacancy.
- It is a god job, you should apply for it she said, Lobsang explains.
- She told me, she says in Tibetan, laughs and points at another weaver sitting close to her.
She worked previously with carpet weaving so no training was needed when she started. Lobsang Chodon is waving with a piece of paper in front of her face during our talk.
- I´m sweating, she says laughing.
Lobsang Chodon have four children at the age of 11,18,22 and 24 of which two still are in school and one is in the army, that gives some support to the family income. She gets paid by piece rate and the salary is about 2000-3000 INR per month. Her husband was previously in the army but has now retired. All the childrens school fees is paid by IM-SOIR. When she gets questions concerning the work environment then she does not understand the question and Tsering Youdon gives examples like if the light is sufficient, temperature is good, if they have the brakes and facilities needed and so on she says yes.
- Everything is good!
Concerning if there is any occupational risks connected with the work she says that there is not anything like that, but after a little bit thinking she says that it is hard sometimes for her to sit for a long time because of a knee problem which bothers her. When the time is ticking some minutes past twelve she is turning a bit smiling and we can see that we are now alone in the weaving hall, and says that she would like to go for lunch which the artisans get by IM-SOIR in a dining hall right behind the weaving hall.
Written by Lilian
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