Ongoing talks between Viva Global management and the GAWU union have broken down after five union members employed at the factory were dismissed and then beaten by a security guard employed by the company.

42 workers from the Viva Global factory in Gurgaon, India have returned to work over six months after they were locked out following a violent attack on union members.

In the evening of August 25th, over 12 hours since he was snatched from outside the Viva Global factory in India, Anwar Ansari was dropped by his kidnappers on a street near his home. Badly beaten and warned to immediatly leave the state, Anwar has now returned to join his fellow workers at an ongoing demonstration outside the Viva Global factory.

Marks and Spencer, one of the UK companies most often lauded for its ethical commitments, has become embroiled in a new "sweatshop" scandal following an expose by the Observer yesterday. The investigation also found a supplier for NEXT and GAP employing workers under conditions that fail to match either Indian law or the ethical standards of the brands themselves.