Workers Rights news and archive

Who makes our clothes? Fashion Production Explained

Ever wondered who actually makes your clothes and how fashion's supply chain impacts workers' lives? This deep dive unpacks how fashion production works and explores what’s needed for meaningful change in the industry. FashionUnited interviewed Kim van der Weerd, a former factory manager with a background in human rights, who advocates for a...

Business

What to expect under the UK’s Employment Rights Bill

A new bill put forth by the UK’s Labour Government is hoping to shake things up in what the administration said will be “the biggest upgrade to workers’ rights in a generation”, replacing so-called “out-of-date” employment laws. The Employment Rights Bill is currently in the committee stage in the House of Commons, and is still being debated and...

Business|Interview Featured

This is how O My Bag CEO Paulien Wesselink approaches corporate social responsibility

As a child, Paulien Wesselink often wondered why she couldn't invite her entire class to her birthday party. "I never liked excluding people," says the founder and CEO with a smile during a video call with FashionUnited. This early example of social responsibility forms the foundation for what would later become O My Bag, a Dutch handbag brand...

Business

Minimum wage for Cambodian garment workers to increase

The minimum wage for Cambodian garment workers will increase to 208 dollars per month by 2025. This is an increase of four dollars from 2024, when it was 204 dollars per month. The agreement comes after months of talks between the Cambodian government, led by prime minister Samdech Thipadei, and the National Council on Minimum Wage (NCMW), which...

Business

AAFA and FLA urge interim Bangladesh government to improve worker rights

The American Apparel & Footwear Association (AAFA) together with the Fair Labor Association (FLA) have issued a joint letter to Bangladesh’s interim government calling on the improvement of worker rights for the country’s garment, footwear and travel goods industries. In a letter to Mohammad Yunus, chief advisor for the interim government of...

BusinessFeatured

Labour rights organisations continue to denounce the situation at Levi's Turkish supplier

With a series legislation preparing to come into force, such as the EU Corporate Social Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD), global fashion companies are coming under increasing pressure to adapt their own policies to support their workers’ rights to freedom of association and collective bargaining, including in the supply chain. US denim specialist...

Business

New Look partners with ITF on supply chain employee protections

British retailer New Look has revealed a new partnership with the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) through which it hopes to ensure the protection of transport workers’ human and labour rights among its supply chain. The duo have established a new memorandum of understanding (MoU) through which New Look has agreed to conduct...

Business

Shein finds cases of child labour and forced labour in supply chain

Shein has discovered two criminal offences in its supply chain between Q1 and Q3 2023, the Chinese fast fashion giant stated in its recently published sustainability report. Both cases, involving child labour and forced labour, were 'swiftly resolved', the company said. Shein is ramping up checks on its suppliers, including checking workers'...

Business

New demands from garment workers in Bangladesh after government falls

Organisations, unions and campaigners in Bangladesh have presented a new list of demands to the interim government led by Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus, following the fall of the government under former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Ecotextile News reports. On Monday, August 5, former Prime Minister Hasina left the country after...

Business

Amazon fights off landmark union bid by UK staff

US e-commerce giant Amazon has fractionally fought off a bid by workers in Britain to win union recognition for the first time, the outcome of a ballot showed Wednesday. A total of 2,600 workers at the company's hub in Coventry, central England, voted 49.5-percent in favour of union recognition, just short of a necessary majority. The vote was...

Fashion

Italy watchdog probes Armani, Dior over supplier labour issues

Italy's competition watchdog said Wednesday that it was investigating luxury fashion groups Armani and Dior over allegations they used suppliers that underpaid and overworked their staff. As part of the probe, the AGCM watchdog and the Guardia di Finanza financial police on Tuesday carried out inspections at the headquarters of Giorgio Armani...

Business

Dior subsidiary placed under court administration due to exploitation allegations

An Italian subsidiary of French luxury brand Dior has been placed under court administration amid allegations of exploitation among its suppliers. A judge in Milan appointed an external director for Manufacturers Dior SRL after a probe into four of its Chinese-owned suppliers found evidence that they were mistreating workers, each of which had...