Slavery
Pair of cheap jeans
Look at the two contrasting photos >>>>>>
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Who is in the two photos? What are they doing in each photo? Where was the photo taken? What could be the link between the two photos? |
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What would you spend on a pair of designer jeans? |
Look at a pair of cheap jeans
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How much did these jeans cost? |
To answer these questions:
Read this report about garment workers in Bangladesh
Fashion Victims
Workers in Bangladesh are regularly working 80 hours a week for just 5p an hour, in potential death trap factories, to produce cheap clothes for British consumers of Primark, Tesco and Asda’s ‘George’ range.Unsafe buildings
In February and March 2006, garment factory collapses and fires in Bangladesh left almost 100 workers dead and many others injured. Being locked in unsafe buildings has been a common complaint among Bangladeshi factory workers.Primark, Tesco and Asda promise :
Suppliers must not be required to work more than 48 hours a week on a regular basis, and should have at least one day off in seven on average.Primark, Tesco and Asda promise :
- A public commitment to payment of a living wage to suppliers –a minimum £22 a month in Bangladesh.
The Reality:
- Starting wages in the factories researched were as little as £8 a month, barely a third of the living wage. Even better paid sewing machine operators receive only £16 a month, which equates to 5p an hour for the 80 hours they regularly have to work each week.
- The minimum wage for garment workers in Bangladesh has halved and many complain their pay is too low to cover food, housing and health costs.
Fair treatment
Primark, Tesco and Asda have given their commitment to fair treatment for suppliers’ workers. But employees interviewed said:
- Managers had prior notice of companies’ inspections
- Workers had been bullied by their bosses to lie about their pay, hours and safety.
Classroom Activity
Share out the 4 roles below, each group to prepare a short presentation as to what is a fair price for a pair of jeans giving reasons
What the garment workers in Bangladesh said:
- Nazera,working in a factory supplying Asda and Tesco, earns just £8.33 per month.
- “We don’t have any future by working in the garment factory,” said her colleague Abdul.
- Runa, whose factory supplies Asda, earns £7.95 per month, which she supplements with an extra £3.03 for overtime work “The income is not enough for me,” she told us“If I can earn more money I can have a better life.”
- “The wages I get are not enough to cover the cost of food, house rent and medicine,” said Mohua in a factory supplying Asda and Tesco.
- Her colleague Humayun said “With my earnings it is difficult to meet living costs.”
- Both male and female workers interviewed said that women were paid less for the same work than their male colleagues. Maternity leave, while granted in theory, is rare in practice.
Lina, one of those interviewed began working in a garment factory at the age of 13.The oldest of eight children, her parents became unable to pay for her education when her brother became sick. She moved from her village to the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka to get a job and help them make ends meet. Now 22, she works in a factory that supplies Primark,Asda and Tesco. She is one of the lucky ones to have learned how to operate a sewing machine, and so can command a wage of £17 per month. To earn this amount, she must work between 60 and 90 hours each week. Lina earns far less than even the most conservative estimate of a living wage in Bangladesh, which is £22 per month.
What the factory owners in Bangladesh said:
- The $8bn a year clothing export industry is under intense scrutiny by foreign buyers but there was no extra cash for "social improvements".
- Mohammed Lutfor Rahman, vice president of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers & Exporters Association, said:
"I am asked about how many light bulbs we use in the factory and where is our toilet? But who pays for these things? The buyers' profits are going up. But if we ask for more money for improvements they say China is very cheap. It is a threat to move the work somewhere else."
What the Companies in the UK said:
- Chris McCann, Asda's ethical standards manager, said he hoped the charity would share the findings so "we can do something about it". He said if he could identify the factories, there would be an audit of labour practices. "We have a clear policy and commitments. If these are violated we will investigate and expect the issues will be resolved. If people are being abused then frankly it is unacceptable."
- A Tesco spokesperson said: "Tesco offers affordable clothing to UK customers - including many low-income families - but this is not achieved through poor working conditions in our suppliers' factories. All suppliers to Tesco must demonstrate that they meet our ethical standards on worker welfare, which are closely monitored. Our suppliers comply with local labour laws, and workers at all Bangladeshi suppliers to Tesco are paid above the national minimum wage."
- Geoff Lancaster, head of public relations at Primark, said the company had been involved in trying to raise standards in Bangladesh and would investigate. It denied it was cutting costs so British shoppers benefited from cheap prices. "We use huge volumes, deal directly with suppliers cutting out the middlemen and do not advertise. That's how we get best value."
What the Consumers in the UK think
What price do you as consumers think is fair for a pair of basic jeans?
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How much difference was there between the highest and lowest price? |
As an ethical shopper where should you shop? See how the different high street shops and supermarkets did in controlling what garment workers are paid for the clothes the shops sell, click here
England cricket captain Andrew Flintoff and wife Rachael Flintoff became the latest faces of Asda's George range in 2006
Stuart Wilson/Getty Images
Sweatshop employing 280 garment workers, Bangladesh
Photo: Fernando Moleres/Panos Pictures
adapted by Centre for Global Education, York
