Sweat-shop Ethiopia

Ethiopia has positioned itself to become one of the world's top exporters of textile and garments. It even plans to boost its clothing exports to a total of $30 billion a year from its current $145 million.

The East African country over the past years has opened doors for international apparel brands like H&M, Calvin Klein and Tommy Hilfiger to set up factories for producing low-cost garments in its industrial parks.

A report by the New York University Stern Center for Business and Human Rights shows that despite the growth in the garment market, Ethiopian garment factory workers are, on average, the lowest paid in the world.

The country does not have a private sector minimum wage, and workers are paid $26 per month -- far from enough to cover basic needs like housing, shelter and food. Their counterparts in South Africa earn a higher wage: $244 per month; and those in Kenya, $207. 

Paul Barrett who is also the deputy director for the New York University Stern Center for Business and Human Rights, says the government's strategy from the beginning was to attract foreign investors by charging very low wages.

"They pointed to the $26 wage because that is the amount that employees of the government are paid. So, they used that as a benchmark for employees in the foreign apparel market too" he told CNN.

Hawassa industrial park, 140 miles south of Addis Ababa, the country's capital is one of five manufacturing hubs established by the government since 2014, and is part of a long-term vision to grow Ethiopia into a production hub. It houses factories including textile and agro-processing and has 25,000 employees producing garments. The workers, mostly women from rural areas, do not get enough training and struggle to understand industrial rules and regulations.

"For many young women, frustration over their pay, combined with homesickness and other aspects of factory life, has led to a sense of alienation and lack of commitment to working productively," says the report. "Unfamiliar with industrial custom, they don't understand why they would be disciplined for lateness, absenteeism, or chatting with workstation neighbours

Ethiopia, with a population of 105 million, has a weak trade union movement. So far, there hasn't been any recognized body advocating for better work conditions, training and pay for the garment workers at Hawassa industrial park.