Protest against Primark Tesco and ASDA

Matthew Taylor--The Guardian, Friday 5 December 2008

Workers producing clothes in Bangladesh for some of the UK's biggest retailers are being forced to work up to 80 hours a week for as little as 7p an hour, according to a report published today.

The study from War on Want claims that conditions in six factories supplying Primark, Tesco and Asda are worse than they were two years ago when the charity carried out its first investigation. Based on interviews with 115 workers in the Bangladeshi capital, Dhaka, today's report claims many were struggling to survive on meagre wages and some were subjected to physical and verbal abuse.

Some said that they had been forced to work hours of unpaid overtime, adding that factory owners were "fiercely opposed" to trade unions.

"Primark, Asda and Tesco promise a living wage for their garment makers," said Ruth Tanner, campaigns and policy director at War on Want. "But workers are actually worse off than when we exposed their exploitation two years ago. The UK government must bring in effective regulation to stop British companies profiting from abuse."

Employees in the six unnamed factories calculated that they need £44.82 a month to provide for their families but the report found they were getting less than half that as they tried to turn out the latest fashions and hit "unrealistic targets".

Last night Primark said it was committed to ethical sourcing of its clothes and continually audited its suppliers. A spokesman for Asda said it was committed to "doing the right thing" for suppliers. Tesco said it took working conditions in its supply chain "extremely seriously" but criticised War on Want which refused to name the factories in order to protect the workers.

"The allegations are unsubstantiated and, as War on Want have again decided not to engage with us on them, we question whether their approach is the best way to tackle the complex issues surrounding the Bangladeshi garment industry," the Tesco spokesman said. "We have no history of cut and running from suppliers, and make clear we would work with any suppliers facing problems to help them improve worker conditions and ensure that the interests of workers are protected.

"Therefore, claims workers are protected by withholding evidence are invalid, and without producing evidence we can neither know whether there is any truth to them nor go about putting right any possible concerns. We take the issue of working conditions throughout our supply chain extremely seriously and insist on high standards, going to great lengths to ensure our suppliers meet them."

Employees interviewed for today's report said conditions are worse now than they were in 2006. Runa, who makes clothes for Asda and Tesco, is quoted saying: "My pay is so meagre that I cannot afford to keep my child with me. I have sent my five-month-old baby to the village to be cared for by my mother." Ifat, who works in another factory, said: "I can't feed my children three meals a day."

Campaigners plan a protest outside Primark's Oxford Street store today and one of the study's researchers, Khorshed Alam, has travelled from Bangladesh to attend the annual meeting of the retailer's parent firm, Associated British Foods.

"These companies made promises that they would do something after the last report but two years later we see nothing has changed - in fact it has got worse," Alam said.

Primark said: "In Bangladesh we continually audit our suppliers. These audits are often unannounced and always paid for by Primark ... we have also started a programme of direct engagement with workers and junior management to ensure that they are aware of our commitment to them and to continual improvement. Our customers can continue to shop in Primark secure in the knowledge that the company works hard to ensure that high standards are met."

Asda said: "We are working directly with factory owners to create more sustainable businesses by improving factory conditions, improving efficiency in production techniques and therefore reducing working hours and aligning worker pay with these improvements in productivity ... we would welcome the opportunity to work with War on Want to identify any issues and formulate a structured plan to help resolve this."

Category:

Nonprofits & Activism

Tags:

• Protest
• against
• Primark
• Tesco
• ASDA

[Alasia248]

What Primark is saying is very true. On their website, they state that workers are payed good wages, and factory conditions are very high; They may well be lying, but if they are it's false advertising.

[HannanRC]

we have made a documentary about garment workers. The trailer is on our the page the documentary is called 'The Machinist'

[buenaorgone19]

dam the reptilians!!!!

[ZoMyGoodnessable]

I'm doing a project on this for Geography homework, and it's ver helpful :P

[DaneVincentVid]

@atomicnortherner The point is you shouldn't have to pay more than you are. The percentage of the garments you buy that goes to the worker is 1% or less of what you brought it for. So even if you really can't afford fair trade then you should campaign to get them not to bring prices up but to pay fair wages... thats all we are asking... you know some of these people work and live in a slave existence... they work upto 20 hours a day every single day and never go anywhere else... pure slavery

[atomicnortherner]

@DaneVincentVid well no actualy im not religious and secondly the price at charity shops are not cheap, primark and the supermarkets are cheaper and new a charity shop may be ok for the odd c.d etc but that is it. i cant afford anywhere else. for ten quid I can get a full outfit that fits and isnt worn in the crotch or what ever but at a charity shop its tat. I dont feel any shame in saying that I shop where I shop

[DaneVincentVid]

@atomicnortherner Really? I don't know your situation but I personally would rather buy one pair of fair trade trousers than seven primark pairs... simply on principle... I think people can afford more than they admit... I acknowledge poor who simply can't afford but they could go charity shops... that way they aren't giving money to the same cooperation's that keep themselves poor...

[DaneVincentVid]

@atomicnortherner what a load of bull... there is enough money and resources for all to have a decent level of living... this lottery idea of your is probs religious or sumut... but the FACTS are that capitalism is a system that give a minority massive capital through exploitation of the masses... leeching off the poor workers... its all very well for you to comment... bet your not working for 2 pound a day... Asda tescos and primark could easily pay better wages.. profits before people. insane

[DaneVincentVid]

@SI3MSON yeh... and george probs pay 2 pound a day to workers in india!

[atomicnortherner]

@DaneVincentVid i dont care, its the only place i can afford to shop thats why i shop there.