War on Want campaigns and policy director Greg Muttitt said: “For years retailers have broken their pledges to ensure the workers behind their profits are paid a living wage, on which they can afford at least to meet their basic needs. Our new research shows that British high street fashion has still failed to clean up its act."
New research reveal that Bangladeshi workers making one of our new royal Kate Middleton’s favourite brands, Zara, earn under 6p an hour for night shifts. Leading retailers – including Zara, Gap, Marks & Spencer, Monsoon Accessorize, New Look, Primark, River Island and Tesco - have pledged to observe a code of conduct with the Ethical Trading Initiative which says that suppliers’ workers earn a living wage, do not work over 48 hours a week or face abuse
Findings reveal the vast majority of garments from Bangladesh sold in UK stores are made by women 18-32 years old - of similar ages to many British females who buy them – struggling to survive amid poor pay and conditions. Sewing operators’ pay starts at only 3,861 taka (£32) a month and for helpers at 3,000 taka (£25) a month. Yet women interviewed cited their average household expenditure on basic needs, like food and housing, as 8,896 taka (£75) a month.
Eight in ten women interviewed for the report said they worked between 12-14 hours a day - some 16 hours a day - with no overtime pay for the extra hours to meet production targets.
Seven in ten women claimed managers swore at them, around half had suffered beatings or been hit in the face, and nearly one in three reported sexual harassment.
One in two of the women told how they had to work overtime while pregnant, risking their child’s health as well as their own.
No comments:
Post a Comment