UK firms 'exploiting Bangladesh'
Textile workers in Bangladesh get paid as little as five pence an hour to make cheap clothes for UK companies Tesco, Asda and Primark, says a report.
The mainly female workers regularly spend 80 hours per week in "potential death trap" factories, according to anti-poverty group War On Want.
Tesco, Asda and Primark all strongly denied the allegations.
War On Want based its report on interviews with 60 workers from six Bangladeshi garment factories.
It said that starting wages at the factories were as little as £8 a month, barely one third of the living wage in Bangladesh.
War On Want added that wages rose to £16 per month for better-paid sewing machine operators, but that some workers spent up to 96 hours per week in the factories without even a day a week off.
It said that while Primark, Tesco and Asda had all signed up to a set of principles to provide decent working conditions and wages for workers in their supply chain, some of their suppliers were "regularly violating" such rules.
"Bargain retailers such as Primark, Asda and Tesco are only able to sell at rock bottom prices in the UK because women workers in Bangladesh are being exploited," said War on Want chief executive Louise Richards.
"The companies are not even living up to their own commitments towards their overseas suppliers."
War On Want said it wanted UK shoppers to know what it saw as the "true costs" of clothes sold by the three retailers.
A Tesco spokesman said workers at all its Bangladeshi suppliers were paid above the national minimum wage.
'Bulk buying'
"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," he said.
"All suppliers to Tesco must demonstrate that they meet our ethical standards on worker welfare, which are closely monitored."
Primark said its low prices were the result of good technology, efficient distribution, bulk buying and minimal advertising.
"As members of the Ethical Trading Initiative we are fully committed to the campaign to improve working standards in Bangladesh," said a Primark spokesman.
Asda said it conducted 13,000 factory audits worldwide to ensure workers were not being exploited.
"We want to work closely with the Bangladesh Government to ensure that they take our standards as seriously as we do," an Asda spokesman said.
And one smartarse comment from an idiotic aristocrat (I bet he is an American “4X4 driver in London”)
The mainly female workers regularly spend 80 hours per week in "potential death trap" factories, according to anti-poverty group War On Want.
Tesco, Asda and Primark all strongly denied the allegations.
War On Want based its report on interviews with 60 workers from six Bangladeshi garment factories.
It said that starting wages at the factories were as little as £8 a month, barely one third of the living wage in Bangladesh.
War On Want added that wages rose to £16 per month for better-paid sewing machine operators, but that some workers spent up to 96 hours per week in the factories without even a day a week off.
It said that while Primark, Tesco and Asda had all signed up to a set of principles to provide decent working conditions and wages for workers in their supply chain, some of their suppliers were "regularly violating" such rules.
"Bargain retailers such as Primark, Asda and Tesco are only able to sell at rock bottom prices in the UK because women workers in Bangladesh are being exploited," said War on Want chief executive Louise Richards.
"The companies are not even living up to their own commitments towards their overseas suppliers."
War On Want said it wanted UK shoppers to know what it saw as the "true costs" of clothes sold by the three retailers.
A Tesco spokesman said workers at all its Bangladeshi suppliers were paid above the national minimum wage.
'Bulk buying'
"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," he said.
"All suppliers to Tesco must demonstrate that they meet our ethical standards on worker welfare, which are closely monitored."
Primark said its low prices were the result of good technology, efficient distribution, bulk buying and minimal advertising.
"As members of the Ethical Trading Initiative we are fully committed to the campaign to improve working standards in Bangladesh," said a Primark spokesman.
Asda said it conducted 13,000 factory audits worldwide to ensure workers were not being exploited.
"We want to work closely with the Bangladesh Government to ensure that they take our standards as seriously as we do," an Asda spokesman said.
5 p an hour in Bangladesh is worth a lot more than it is here, most of them live here now anyway so its not a problem for them obviously. Given that India is now one of the largest causes of greenhouse gases, and they don't care by the way, we shouldn't be looking to pay them more, so they can all buy cars and pollute more, we should be looking to curb them!
Stuart BoothUnited Kingdom
And one smartarse comment from an idiotic aristocrat (I bet he is an American “4X4 driver in London”)
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