Well-known clothing companies such as Barbour and PVH, the parent company of Calvin Klein and Tommy Hilfiger, have agreed to compensate £400,000 to workers in Mauritius following a probe that revealed migrant workers were being charged exorbitant fees for their employment.
In 2022 and 2023, Transparentem, a non-profit organization in the US, conducted an investigation into the working conditions at five factories in Mauritius. A total of 83 workers were interviewed during this investigation.
According to a newly released statement, Transparentem asserts that it has discovered numerous indications of coerced labor, which is classified as a type of contemporary enslavement by the International Labour Organization of the United Nations. Along with employees having to pay illicit fees to secure their employment, the report alleges that they were also subjected to deceit, coercion, and unsanitary living circumstances – such as lack of access to clean water and infestations of cockroaches and bedbugs.
The five factories provide brands such as Boden, Asos, and the Foschini Group, which holds ownership of Whistles and Hobbs.
Following their own investigations into the conditions of factories, fashion companies such as PVH and Barbour have announced plans to compensate employees at REAL Garments, one of the factories mentioned in the report, for up to £400,000 in unlawful recruitment fees.
Ben Skinner, the leader of Transparentem, stated: “The migrant workers displayed immense bravery by sharing their experiences through Transparentem. So far, only three companies have demonstrated through their actions that they truly heard them. The price of making changes is steep. However, the price of not making changes is even higher.”
PVH stated its dedication to ensuring that migrant employees are compensated for any expenses associated with recruitment and related fees.
Barbour acknowledged the importance of Transparentem’s findings and is collaborating with other brands at REAL Garments to promptly address the issue. They have taken immediate steps to assist affected workers as a first course of action.
A representative stated that we are enhancing our audit procedures to take all necessary measures to avoid a recurrence of this in the future.
REAL Garments also said it was taking the findings of the investigation seriously and had taken action to remedy the situation for its workers. “We confirm that all the remediations including repayment of local transportation fees have been completed,” it said.
“We thoroughly examined this matter and are confident that we have taken the necessary steps.”
Neither Asos nor Boden provided a response to the request for comment.
Source: theguardian.com
