21st January 2014 - Labour Behind the Label... Research

21st January 2014 - Labour Behind the Label... Research

Our report shows that factory workers in Cambodia consume just 1598 calories a day on average – around half the recommended amount. Body Mass Index (BMI) figures gathered from workers indicate that 33% of garment workers are medically underweight, and 25% seriously so, displaying figures that would be used to diagnose Anorexia over here.

Six months after a deadly building collapse in Bangladesh, the Clean Clothes Campaign (CCC) and the International Labor Rights Forum (ILRF) have released a new report examining what progress has been made on delivering compensation to the families and workers affected by the tragedy. The report, entitled 'Still Waiting', states that although progress has been made, full compensation is still far off and some of the permanently injured workers have had to pull their children out of school. 

Investigations have shown low wages, excessive hours and harassment of workers to have been commonplace in factories in Asia supplying George. Asda’s response to these criticisms has been to trumpet a showcase project to improve productivity in four Bangladeshi factories where it says workers’ pay and conditions have improved. However, an ActionAid investigation into these factories reveals that, far from demonstrating best practice, conditions for workers remain unacceptable, with poverty wages, unreasonable hours and physical abuse of workers still taking place.