Africa, Tunisia, Gafsa. Selem works at the Marn-Tex Textile garment factory, a supplier to Benetton clothing.
Africa, Tunisia, Gafsa. Selem works at the Marn-Tex Textile garment factory, a supplier to Benetton clothing.
“I work here to help support her family, there are five girls. My father looks for daily work and my mother works in agriculture. I’m the only one in my family with a fixed salary. I stopped school at 9 years old so my work options were limited. I take the bus here everyday and I’m very happy that I have a job.”
Hedia is the owner of Marn-Tex Textile garment factory, a supplier to Benetton clothing. She started this factory in 2010, the name is a mix of her kids’ names. “I got my diploma in textile tech in 1983. I worked as a teacher in design in Gafsa but once I got married and had children it was cheaper to stay home and take care of them. I started a little textile business that grew as Benetton took me on as a supplier. As a woman it was difficult supervising men, so I hire mostly women. Women are more serious workers and I trust them more. There are about 120 workers here and about 20 are men. Most of the workers make about $400 dinar ($160) a month. The workers have the option to stay later or work Saturdays to work overtime. If someone always stays late they get a bonus. Everyone has to take Sundays off.”. Photo by Alison Wright for USAID, Tunisia, Africa Original public domain image from Flickr