Enough to feed your family - it's not too much to ask
A living wage, enough to meet a workers' basic needs, and the needs of her children, seems like a fundamental common sense part of any company's responsibility.
Yet, this year, when we asked top highstreet retailers what they were doing to ensure workers were paid a living wage, fashion giants Gap and H&M both told us they were working towards paying a minimum wage to workers, which in production countries is often less than half what a worker will need to care for and feed her family.
Gap, in previous years has received top marks for holistic plans to deliver on wages. But this time around Gap told us that it had discarded its best laid plans to pay a living wage, and will instead focus efforts on checking that the legal minimum is paid. Swedish fast fashion giant H&M is similarly dragging its heals. It is still failing to commit to the concept of paying a living wage in its code of conduct, let alone taking action to make it a reality.
You can take action now to call on these brands to do better. By doing so you stand in solidarity with the people who make the clothes you wear, and with their families.
Call on GAP to reinstate plans to deliver a living wage
Recipient: Dan Henkle, Senior Vice President for Social Responsibility at Gap
Call on H&M to commit to pay a living wage
Recipient: Helena Helmersson, Head of Corporate Social Responsibility at H&M
