Z852/2/8

Interview with Maxine Ali on the subject of home working. Including the following: Side A: (1) Work: speaker was paid £50 for a seven day week, receiving £0.50 to £1.00 per finished item, she worked an eleven hour day, often until 2 am and had to deal with child care, cooking and housework as well. Home workers tended to use industrial sewing machines and the presence of young children in the house raised health and safety issues. As well as making clothes the speaker worked in a shop but was waiting to go into nursing. Produce for the shop came from the outworkers sewing and stitching at home, each outworker being recognised by the label sewn on the garment. (2) Family: the speaker was half Polish, half Pakistani, married to a Pakistani and talked in some detail of resulting family tensions for herself and a Jewish friend who married a Pakistani and converted to Islam. The low standing of women in Asian families was discussed. (3) Racial issues: the dislike of Jews by Pakistanis was noted and the tensions with the indigenous white community. The speaker felt she was better treated by white people when dressed in western clothing. Side B: (1) Previous work: the speaker had worked in a nursery for a year as part of a YTS scheme and had considered it slave labour, having worked 7.30 am to 5 pm for 5 days a week and received £18.50 aged 16 and £38.00 aged 17. She had worked both with children and old people. Note: the tape recording includes children making a noise in the background. (Original Ref. SS 20 Maxine Ali)

1994

From: 1994 To: 1994

item

ethnic minorities, tape recordings, HEALTH & SAFETY, general clothing trade, Pakistanis, Polish, Islam, JEWS, Asians