Stories Of Injustice From Around The World

Fashion Victims In Bangladesh

“The wages I get are not enough to cover the cost of food, house rent and medicine.”
Mohua, a factory worker in Bangladesh. The factory Mohua works at supplies Asda and Tesco.

A new report by the charity War on Want has revealed that workers in Bangladesh are still regularly working 80 hours a week for just 5p an hour, in potential death trap factories, to produce the cheap clothes bought at Primark, Tesco and Asda. Primark, Tesco and Asda have all made public commitments to the payment of a living wage to suppliers – commonly calculated to be a minimum £22 a month in Bangladesh. Yet War on Want’s report shows that the companies are not even living up to their own commitments. In interviews workers said starting wages in the factories are as low as £8 a month, barely a third of the living wage, and better-paid sewing machine operators still only receive £16 a month. Many workers complain their pay is too low to cover food, housing and health costs.

Find out more at: www.waronwant.org

Unilever: Brewing A Crisis In India?

‘We used to buy fish or meat once or twice a week. Now that has stopped completely.....we can’t afford vegetables and dal any more.’
Chandran, a worker on a tea plantation owned by Hindustan Lever (a subsidiary of Unilever) in Tamil Nadu, India

Can you imagine life without tea? The UK is the third largest importer of tea in the world. But there is a hidden crisis going on for those who grow and harvest our tea. A recent study by ActionAid found that workers on tea plantations are being paid falling wages for increasing workloads, many suffer from hunger and malnutrition and face job insecurity, smallholders are struggling to feed their families and tribal communities are facing harassment from plantation owners.

In stark contrast, companies such as Unilever (owners of PG Tips) reap huge profits from sales of tea. In 2005 Unilever’s total profits were more than £3.5 billion. ActionAid’s study of a tea plantation in Tamil Nadu, India, provides an insight into the problems facing workers right across India. Since the late 1990s, over 60,000 tea workers have lost their jobs on Indian plantations as global tea prices have fallen. Plantations have been closed down, wages slashed, living conditions worsened, labour has become increasingly casual, welfare benefits such as sanitation and healthcare cut and there has been a steady rise in malnutrition and starvation. But the retail price of tea has actually risen, as have Unilever’s profits.

Find out more at: http://www.actionaid.org/wps/content/documents/15_1_tea_break.pdf

Tesco: Unbeatable Value In South Africa?

Tesco are one of the 6 largest retailers in the world, with 2005 profits of £2.2 billion, and have a 30% share of the UK grocery retail market.1 Their dominant position, and mission to deliver “unbeatable value” for shoppers, means they can demand tougher supply conditions and have pushed prices paid to farmers down so far that thousands of workers in developing countries are being exploited and some UK farmers are on the brink of bankruptcy.2

ActionAid’s 2005 research shows that the rights of thousands of women, working as casual fruit pickers on farms accredited by Tesco in South Africa, have been violated. For example women workers reported dangerous exposure to pesticides, lack of protective equipment, poverty wages – sometimes below minimum wage, long hours, and insecure, short-term employment.3

Find out more at: www.actionaid.org.uk/doc_lib/14_1_rotten_fruit.pdf

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