Labour Behind The Label

A People's Tribunal into the state of poverty pay in the Cambodian garment industry took place this February, following months of mass faintings and worker strikes. The verdict announced an immediate need for action.

The Global Union representing workers in the garment industry, the ITGLWF have released a report on working conditions in Asian sportswear supply chains.

On July 30, the Bangladesh government announced its proposal to raise the minimum monthly wage to 3000 Taka (€32), effective November 1, 2010. Of that amount, 2,000 takas would be the basic pay while 800 takas would be paid in house rent and 200 takas in health allowance. The apprentice level wage would increase to 2,500 takas (€27), up from the present 1,200 takas (€13).

PRESS RELEASE:

Garment-workers unions and labour-rights organisations have reacted with indignation and disappointment at the newly-proposed increase to the minimum wage in Bangladesh' garment industry. Yesterday the National Wage Board recommended an increase of the minimum wage to 3000 Bangladeshi 'taka' (£27).

Asda has its sights trained on becoming Britain’s number one cheap fashion retailer. But while the company tries leaping ahead of its rivals on the high street, it’s falling behind in its efforts to improve conditions for women workers in poor countries, whose wages are keeping them trapped in poverty.

Asda has a lamentable record on paying poverty-level wages to workers in poor countries who make its clothes and is trailing behind its competitors such as M&S and Primark, a new report by ActionAid revealed today.

This new report by War on Want uncovers evidence of workers in Bangladesh regularly working 80 hours a week for just 5p an hour, in potential death trap factories, to produce cheap clothes for British consumers of Primark, Tesco and Asda's 'George' range.  The research found six factories producing for some or all of the companies, and found serious workers rights violations in each, with workers too frightened to join a union and few who had even heard of a code of conduct, let alone spoken openly to social auditors.  These six factories prove that despite the fact that all three have commited to ensuring freedom of association, a living wage, legal working hours and proper monitoring and verifaction of supplier factories illegal and exploitative conditions are found within their supply chain.  Whilst the research focused on factories in Bangladesh we can have little confidence similar conditions don't exist in other factories or other countries.