Western Brands Need to Pay Up
When the pandemic hit Europe and the US and more and more stores were closed, brands and retailers responded as they usually do: by pushing the risk down the supply chain. They did this by cancelling all orders placed before the crisis - some of which were already ready to be shipped. This meant that factories, which fronted the costs for fabric and labour, were often left without the money to pay their workers, threatening homelessness, starvation and economic collapse for the country’s garment workers.
After public outcry many brands decided to commit to paying orders, but still many more continue to refuse or negotiate large discounts and payment delays. In May this year, in support of the Clean Clothes Campaign, garment workers Shompa and Morjina, Founder and Executive Director of Awaj Foundation Nazma Akter, founder and executive director of the Bangladesh Centre for Worker Solidarity (BCWS) Kalpona Akter, writer and activist Tansy Hoskins, Maria Chenoweth CEO of TRAID and Danny Burns from the Institute of Development Studies and I were invited to speak out about the issue in this powerful video by Rainbow Collective.
But there’s more you can do. Tell brands that their behaviour is not acceptable. They need to #PayUp on orders and ensure their workers are paid and protected during this crisis. A range of petitions in and outside the Clean Clothes Campaign’s network is calling upon brands to do the right thing: Labour behind the Label focuses on UK brands; Oxfam Australia focuses on Australian brands; Public Eye (German/French) focuses on all brands; Abiti Puliti (Italian) focuses on all brands; Traidcraft focuses on UK brands; Remake focusing on global brands.
At the same time, this this brand tracker will let you check whether your favourite brand has paid for its orders. If not, call them out on social media and tell them to #PayUp! Want to reach a bunch of brands at the same time? Click here to tweet to a lot of them at once.
If you want to support the workers directly contact Nazma Akter (facebook.com/nazma.akter.1042) and Kalpona Akter (facebook.com/kalpona.amber).
