H&M, the world’s second-largest fashion retailer, is currently investigating 20 alleged instances of labor abuse at Myanmar garment factories that supply its products, as reported by Reuters news agency. This comes shortly after Inditex, the parent company of Zara and the leading fashion retailer, announced its decision to phase out purchases from Myanmar.
A human rights advocacy group based in the UK has documented 156 cases of alleged worker abuse in Myanmar garment factories between February 2022 and February 2023, a significant increase from the previous year’s 56 cases. These findings indicate a decline in workers’ rights since the military coup in February 2021.
The most commonly reported allegations include wage reduction, wage theft, unfair dismissal, inhumane work rates, and forced overtime, according to a report by the non-governmental organization, the Business and Human Rights Resource Centre (BHRRC).
H&M stated, “All the cases raised in the report by BHRRC are being followed up and, if necessary, remediated through our local team on the ground and in close cooperation with relevant stakeholders.” The Swedish retailer expressed deep concern over the situation in Myanmar, acknowledging the increased challenges in conducting operations according to their standards and requirements.
Since the military government took control, the BHRRC has been monitoring allegations of workers’ rights abuses in Myanmar garment factories, contributing to the country’s ongoing political and humanitarian crisis. The tracker includes abuse cases from 124 separate factories.
Source from www.aljazeera.com