Homeworkers Worldwide Annual Report 2023
Worker stitching leather footwear in India (Credit: Cividep)
Homeworkers Worldwide, Company No. 3796677, Charity Number: 1195399.
c/o Bohorun’s Business Solutions, Howley Park Business Village, Howley Park Road, Morley, Leeds, LS27 0BZ. www.homeworkersww.org.uk.
Homeworkers Worldwide Activity Summary 2023
Update on Organisational Status
Homeworkers Worldwide was registered at Companies House in 1999 as a not-for-profit company (#3796677). In 2021 our Board of Directors took the decision to register HWW as a charity, and we were advised that the best way to do this would be to create a wholly new organisation, as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation.
Our application was accepted by the Charity Commission in August 2021, and at the time, we planned to do a straightforward transition from one organisation to the other, and continue our existing activities under the new structure. However this proved tricky as the lead partner in Hidden Homeworkers (and effectively, our major donor), was reluctant to allow us to transfer our work on this EC-funded project across to the new charity structure.
Rather than double our administration and governance costs for the remaining two years of the project, the Charity Commission advised us to keep the new CIO dormant until the final year of the project, which was 2023. Thus during 2023 Homeworkers Worldwide was effectively operating out of two parallel organisational structures, HWW-the-Company (registered with Companies House, #3796677, with a turnover of £25,506 in 2023), and HWW-the-Charity (registered with the Charity Commission, #1195399, turnover £13,048).
During the first nine months of 2023, HWW’s contribution to the EC funded Hidden Homeworkers project continued to be delivered through the Company, whilst our future fundraising and governance activities were transferred across to the new CIO. Both organisations are led by the same group of trustees, and the same staff team, and as soon as the audit and reporting process for the Hidden Homeworkers project is complete, we will close down the not-for-profit company and operate solely as a charity.
Mapping Hidden Homeworkers in Supply Chains
During the first half of 2023 the focus of much of our work remained on the four-year Hidden Homeworkers Project, led by Transform Trade in partnership with Homeworkers Worldwide and HomeNet South Asia, and part-funded by the European Commission. This project was set up to improve the situation of homeworkers in international textile supply chains in India, Pakistan and Nepal. Our role was to lead on engagement with international brands and multi-stakeholder initiatives (such as the UK’s Ethical Trading Initiative), raising company awareness and understanding of the challenges facing homeworkers in their supply chains, and encouraging them to take positive action in response.
Our activities during 2023 included mentoring and advice to 8 ETI member companies on their homeworker policies, alongside regular participation in the ETI’s Textile & Apparel group, in addition to our Director’s responsibilities as a member of the ETI Board (e.g. chairing the ETI’s NGO caucus in June 2023, and attending an extended ETI Board meeting shortly after).
In 2023, we completed two supply chain mapping projects, working with one brand sourcing embroidered Christmas decorations, and the other evening dresses from supply chains involving homeworkers. Colleagues from Transform Trade India interviewed stakeholders along the supply chain in India, including any subcontractors or agents, and ending with the homeworkers, using
resources provided by Homeworkers Worldwide in our online Toolkit. In parallel with this, HWW staff interviewed UK-based stakeholders, which in one supply chain included a UK-based supplier, and the resulting report included an overview of the purchasing practices of the retailer, as well as a series of specific recommendations for supply chain stakeholders, to improve transparency and working conditions for the homeworkers concerned.
In the first of these projects it was not possible to agree any further work with the supply chain stakeholders to implement our recommendations, as the UK supplier involved proved very resistant to any further involvement. However the brand remained committed to continuing to source from the supply chain, and reported that they were ‘encouraging the exploration of systems to monitor payments and methods of establishing and confirming fair piece rates,’ in response to the project. They also published a short report of the project in their latest Modern Slavery report.
In March 2023, the EC finally agreed to our request to extend Hidden Homeworkers by six months, allowing more time to complete these mapping projects, and in the hope that we could convince the eight UK-based brands identified through Cividep India’s hard hitting research on homeworking in leather footwear chains to take up the supply chain mapping support available through the project. However despite working closely with the Ethical Trading Initiative’s collective action process, it was not possible to convince the brands to do this, even though the study had demonstrated that homeworkers working for their suppliers were paid at rates far below legal minima.
Homeworker Campaign
In part as a result of this disappointing response, the Hidden Homeworkers lead partner, Transform Trade, decided to run a public campaign in the closing stages of the project. HWW supported them with specialist advice as they reached out initially to brands without a homeworkers policy, securing a positive commitment to adopt a policy from two brands.
This outreach stage was followed by the main campaign, which began with the launch exhibition of a participatory research project with homeworkers in Tirupur, who used photography to document their lives. This was originally scheduled for July 2023 but in the end was delayed until September 2023, leaving very little project time to follow up with brands. Shanta Bhavnani, HWW trustee represented HWW at the exhibition, and Peter Williams has continued to follow up with brand contacts on a voluntary basis.
Peter also led our advocacy work with ETI Norway during 2023, delivering a second online workshops for their brands and other members in September. This was well attended, and in follow up calls, ETI Norway agreed to revise their base code, to ensure it explicitly included homeworking.
Dissemination
Homeworkers Worldwide also played a leading role in the dissemination of project learnings from the Hidden Homeworkers project. Activities included:
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Organising a Side event entitled ‘Making Due Diligence work for Homeworkers’ at the OECD Forum on Due Diligence in the Garment and Footwear Sector in February 2023
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Networking at the OECD Forum led to follow up calls with the Fair Labor Association and the Leather Working Group, both keen to learn more about human rights issues within leather footwear supply chains
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Participating in a panel discussion at the ETI Members Day in March 2023
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Organising a Side session entitled’ at the UN’s South Asia Responsible Business Forum in June 2023
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Presenting at a stakeholder meeting co-ordinated by the Dutch NGO Arisa, focusing on working conditions within the garment sector in the NCR region around Delhi (28.6.23)
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On-line training on homeworking (using the HWW Toolkit) with companies, agents and homeworkers in Lahore and Karachi, Pakistan, in collaboration with HomeNet Pakistan.
Fundraising, Governance and People
During 2022-23 Homeworkers Worldwide-the-charity continued to invest considerable capacity into fundraising, focussing initially on succession funding for our work on textile manufacturing in northern England, in collaboration with academics at the University of Manchester. We also developed an Appeal for Trusts and Foundations, based on consolidating the work of the Hidden Homeworkers project and extending this to new locations. This secured sufficient funds to cover the 23% match funding component of Hidden Homeworkers, and a further grant of £3000 which is helping to sustain the organisation now that the project has ended.
Sadly the delay in securing the extension of Hidden Homeworkers meant that our Director was forced to look for other opportunities, and in August 2023 she left HWW to take up a new position with CAFOD. Due to HWW’s limited finances, trustees decided not to replace her, but our Administrator has remained in post in a co-ordinating role, and one of our trustees, Peter Williams has continued to follow up with brands and MSI contacts during the latter part of 2023. In October 2023, Lucy agreed to become a trustee of HWW, and has worked (in a voluntary capacity) with Gudrun and Peter, to finalise the lengthy audit and evaluation process, and with Shanta Bhavnani to review future fundraising opportunities.
During 2023 we continued to work with Rose Dryzek, an Australian doctoral student studying for a History PhD at Cambridge University, based on Homeworkers Worldwide’s extensive archives documenting the history of labour organising around homeworking around the world. The aim of this work is to provide an edited collection that we are now in the process of transferring to Feminist Archives North, hosted by Special Collections at Leeds University.
HWW People & Donors
Admin & Comms: Gudrun Lauret
Trustees: Linda Devereux, Jacqui McKay , Julie Jarman , Catriona Purdy (treasurer) , Peter Williams, Shanta Bhavnani, Al Garthwaite (Lucy Brill joined October 2023) Volunteers: Peter Williams, Lucy Brill, Shanta Bhavnani
In 2023 HWW-the-Company received funding from the European Commission (via the NGOs
Transform trade and Labour behind the Label), the Ethical Trading Initiative & Liberty Retail Ltd, and HWW-the-charity, from the Souter Trust, an anonymous donor, as well as several smaller donations from individuals, along with GiftAid monies via HMRC.
With many thanks to our staff, trustees and funders – and to our partners in South Asia, and allies here in Europe - for all their support during this challenging period.
| Homeworkers Worldwide | Homeworkers Worldwide | 1195399 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Receipts and payments accounts | CC16a | |||
| For the period from |
1.1.2023 | To | 31.12.2023 |
| Section A Receipts and payments | Section A Receipts and payments | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A1 Receipts | Unrestricted funds to the nearest £ 8,000 3,000 2,048 - - - - - 13,048 - - - 13,048 3,378 2,475 335 204 42 94 26 760 - 7,314 - - - 7,314 5,734 - - 5,734 |
Restricted funds to the nearest £ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - |
Endowment funds to the nearest £ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - |
Total funds to the nearest £ 8,000 3,000 2,048 - - - - - 13,048 - - - 13,048 3,378 2,475 335 204 42 94 26 760 - 7,314 - - - 7,314 5,734 |
Last year to the nearest £ |
|
| Donation | 8,000 | - | ||||
| Grant | 3,000 | - | ||||
| GiftAid | 2,048 | - | ||||
| - | - | |||||
| - | - | |||||
| - | - | |||||
| - | - | |||||
| - | - | |||||
| Sub total(Gross income for AR) |
13,048 | - | ||||
| A2 Asset and investment sales, (see table). |
||||||
| - | ||||||
| - | - | |||||
| Sub total | - | - | ||||
| Total receipts A3 Payments |
||||||
| - | ||||||
Director's salary* |
3,378 | - | ||||
| Administrator's salary | 2,475 | - | ||||
| Fees & charges* | 335 | - | ||||
| Phone/IT* | 204 | - | ||||
| Travel* | 42 | - | ||||
| Roomhire - staff meetings | 94 | - | ||||
| Volunteers' food - archiving | 26 | - | ||||
| Payment to HWW-the-company | 760 | - | ||||
| - | - | |||||
| **Sub total ** | 7,314 | - | ||||
| A4 Asset and investment purchases (see table) |
||||||
| , | - | |||||
| - | ||||||
| **Sub total ** | - | - | ||||
| Total payments Net of receipts/(payments) A5 Transfers between funds A6 Cash funds last year end Cash funds this year end |
||||||
| - | ||||||
| 5,734 | - | - | 5,734 |
- | ||
| - | - | - | - | - | ||
| - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 5,734 | - | - | 5,734 | - |
CCXX R1 accounts (SS)
31/10/2024
1
| Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period | Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period | Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Categories Signed by one or two trustees on behalf of all the trustees B1 Cash funds B2 Other monetary assets B4 Assets retained for the charity’s own use B5 Liabilities B3 Investment assets |
Catriona Purdy Signature Lucy Brill Details Details Charity bank account Details Details Total cash funds (agree balances with receipts and payments account(s)) Details |
Unrestricted funds Restricted funds to nearest £ to nearest £ 5,734 - - - - - 5,734 - OK OK Unrestricted funds Restricted funds to nearest £ to nearest £ - - - - - - - - - - - - Fund to which asset belongs Cost (optional) - - - - - Fund to which asset belongs Cost (optional) - - - - - - - - - Fund to which liability relates Amount due (optional) - - - - - Print Name HWW Trustee HWW Treasurer |
Endowment funds to nearest £ |
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| OK | |||
| Endowment funds to nearest £ |
|||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| Current value (optional) |
|||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| Current value (optional) |
|||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| When due (optional) |
|||
| Date of approval |
|||
| Lucy Brill | HWW Trustee | 30.10.24 | |
| Catriona Purdy | HWW Treasurer | 30.10.24 |
CCXX R2 accounts (SS)
31/10/2024
2