Our fashions `paid for by exploited workers', says charity

Dec 8 2006 By The Journal

Workers in Bangladesh are paid 5p an hour for making cheap, chic clothes destined for UK chains, a report today says.

The garments end up in Primark, Tesco and Asda's George range, according to War on Want.

It says workers regularly spend 80 hours a week in "potential death trap" factories. The Fashion Victims report is based on research at six factories in Bangladesh with more than 5,000 mainly female workers.

Starting wages were as little as £8 a month, barely one third of the living wage. This rose to £16 for sewing machinists.

Some spend up to 96 hours a week at work. Minimum working day at the factories was 10 hours.

Primark, Tesco and Asda have all signed up to principles designed to provide decent working conditions and a living wage for workers in their supply chain. But the report says those principles are "regularly violated". The companies disagree.

War on Want chief executive Louise Richards said: "Bargain retailers such as Primark, Asda and Tesco are only able to sell at rock bottom prices in the UK because women workers in Bangladesh are being exploited."

It urged shoppers to remember the "true cost" of clothes sold by the three chains. It said Bangladeshi factory collapses and fires highlighted how unsafe they could be.

A Tesco spokesman said staff at its Bangladesh suppliers were paid above the national minimum. "All suppliers to Tesco must demonstrate that they meet our ethical standards on worker welfare, which are closely monitored."

Primark said: "As members of the Ethical Trading Initiative we are fully committed to the campaign to improve working standards in Bangladesh. If War on Want will give us details of which factories are ignoring the code, we will investigate immediately."

Asda said it made 13,000 factory audits to ensure staff were not exploited. "We want to work closely with the Bangladesh Government to ensure that they take our standards as seriously as we do."