Workers Rights news and archive

Inditex aiming to double number of disabled employees in two years

Inditex, the owner of Zara, Bershka and Pull&Bear, has announced a new goal to significantly increase the number of employees with disabilities worldwide within two years. The group’s endorsement of the ILO Global Business and Disability Network was signed by its CEO Oscar García Maceiras during a meeting with the director-general of the...

26 Jan 2023

BusinessFeatured

UK court rules against allegations that government failed to halt Xinjiang imports

The UK’s High Court has ruled against human rights campaigners that brought forward a case claiming British crime and customs authorities had failed to stop the importation of cotton from China’s Xinjiang region, which has been at the centre of allegations of forced labour. In the filing, the Global Legal Action Network (GLAN) and World Uyghur...

23 Jan 2023

Business

US labor board upholds landmark Amazon union vote

Amazon's objections to a landmark unionization vote by workers in one of the retail giant's US warehouses have been thrown out, the US National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) ruled Wednesday. The federal agency tossed out the arguments put forth by Amazon against the 2022 vote at its warehouse in Staten Island, New York, and said in a statement...

12 Jan 2023

Business

UK Amazon workers to strike for first time over pay

Amazon workers in the UK have announced plans to strike against the tech giant for the first time over a pay dispute. The action was announced by GMB Union, who said employees of Amazon’s Coventry warehouse are set to stage a walk out on January 25. According to the union, a December ballot saw the majority of workers vote in favour of the...

5 Jan 2023

BusinessFeatured

Shein pledges 15 million dollars to upgrade supply chain factories

Fast fashion e-tailer Shein has said it plans to spend 15 million dollars on upgrading the hundreds of factories in its supply chain over the next three to four years. In a release, the controversial retailer said the investment would focus on physical enhancements to suppliers’ factories as part of its Supplier Community Empower Programme...

5 Dec 2022

Fashion Featured

Boohoo responds to fresh reports of poor warehouse working conditions

Fast fashion giant Boohoo has once again found itself responding to reports of poor working conditions at one of its UK warehouses. Workers at the group’s site in Burnley, Lancashire say they work like “slaves” and are subjected to racism, sexual harassment, and ill-fitting safety equipment, according to an undercover investigation by The Times...

24 Nov 2022

Business

Marks & Spencer to stop sourcing from Myanmar over human rights concerns

British retailer Marks & Spencer has said it will stop sourcing from Myanmar over concerns of human rights abuses in the country. The company said it is working towards a “responsible exit” from the country, and plans to have completely exited by March 2023. “At Marks & Spencer, ethical trading is core to the way we do business,” the retailer...

12 Oct 2022

BusinessFeatured

Garment workers disclose worsening human rights issues in new report

A new report by the Business & Human Rights Resource Centre (BHHRC) has highlighted allegations of union-busting and human rights abuses against garment workers at the suppliers of a number of global fashion retailers. As part of the report, the organisation interviewed 24 trade union leaders and surveyed 124 union activists and labour activists...

11 Oct 2022

Business

MP fears garment workers in Leicester may be exposed to abuse under changed regulations

Leicester East MP Claudia Webbe has expressed her concerns towards the city’s garment industry after Treasury minister Chris Philip suggested the government was planning to scrap regulations for businesses with fewer than 500 employees. During an event for the Taxpayers’ Alliance, Philip said that the UK government “will be reducing business...

6 Oct 2022

Business

Amazon raises pay for US front-line employees in one billion dollar investment

Amazon has announced a pay increase for its US front-line employees as part of a one billion dollar investment over the next year. According to the marketplace, the average starting pay for related employees in customer fulfilment and transportation will increase from 18 dollars per hour to more than 19 dollars per hour. Alongside the pay rise,...

29 Sept 2022

Business

European Commission proposes to ban products made under forced labour

The European Commission has revealed a proposal that could see products made with forced labour prohibited from entering the EU market. If approved, national authorities will be able to withdraw relevant products made for both domestic consumption and exports or imports following an investigation. EU members will have to implement the...

19 Sept 2022

Business

Primark to halt sourcing in Myanmar

Fast fashion retailer Primark has announced that, in light of the unfolding situation in Myanmar, which is currently under military regime after a coup last year, it will be making a “responsible exit” from the country. Its decision follows the Ethical Trade Initiative’s (ETI) independent assessment of human rights and responsible business...

19 Sept 2022