Workers Rights news and archive

New report finds Leicester garment exploitation claims overstated

A new review presented to UK Parliament has found that allegations of worker exploitation and modern slavery in Leicester’s garment sector were not supported by evidence from formal investigations. The report, ‘Lessons Learned from Operation Tacit’, published in November 2025 by the director of labour market enforcement, Margaret Beels, suggests...

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Tod’s CEO defends company ethics following labour exploitation allegations

"Made in Italy is one of our country's excellences, recognised worldwide," explained Diego Della Valle last Friday from Tod's headquarters in Milan. The executive's comments came after the city's Public Prosecutor's Office requested judicial administration for the Marche-based company, Tod's SpA, for allegedly negligently facilitating "severe...

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Tod's faces judicial administration over claims of "severe labour exploitation"

The Milan Public Prosecutor's Office has requested to place the Marche-based company Tod's spa under judicial administration for negligently facilitating "severe labour exploitation" along its production chain. The request from public prosecutor Paolo Storari is addressed to Italy's Court of Cassation, which has scheduled a hearing for November...

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Bestseller denies ‘damaging’ child labour allegations

Danish fashion giant Bestseller – the parent company of Jacks&Jones, Vero Moda and Only – has denied claims made against it by broadcaster TV 2 alleging evidence of child labour among its supply chain. In a public statement, Bestseller specifically referenced two documentary episodes aired by the Danish media firm via TV 2 and TV 2 Play which...

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Labor dispute in Spanish retail: New complaints against El Corte Inglés

New complaints have surfaced within the retail division of Spanish department store giant El Corte Inglés, compounding the legal challenges already raised by more than 200 employees from its logistics subsidiary. The General Confederation of Labor (CGT)—the Spanish union behind the first-ever workers’ protest in the company’s history earlier...

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Legal pressure mounts on El Corte Inglés over logistics roles in omnichannel retail transition

Over the past decade, the retail sector has increasingly taken on logistical functions as part of its transformation toward an omnichannel model. Digitalization and the rise of e-commerce have shifted much of the operational burden away from physical stores and onto distribution centers, where processes such as order fulfillment, real-time...

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NGOs crack down on alleged human rights violations within Australia’s fashion industry

Organisations in Australia are cracking down on local fashion brands suspected of carrying out systemic labour rights violations. A new report by Oxfam Australia, backed by the Human Rights Law Centre, has outlined evidence of exploitation and child labour specifically across Bangladesh’s garment supply chain, with potential links to Australian...

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LVMH's Loro Piana: After the scandal, what are the consequences for the sector and investors?

LVMH Group once again found itself in turmoil when its Italian subsidiary Loro Piana, a house renowned for its cashmere and understated luxury, was placed under court supervision by the Milan Court last month. This exceptional decision highlights the excesses of an outsourcing system too often out of control, already singled out in other similar...

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Trade union freedom is still a long way off in fashion: "It's essential that brands sit down with employees"

2023 and 2024 were years of protests for Bangladeshi garment workers. Tens of thousands of workers took to the streets, demanding, among other things, payment arrears and the lack of structural improvements: a living wage, meal allowances, raises for night shifts, and more lenient work duties for pregnant women. These protests were intended to...

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Milan court orders judicial administration for Loro Piana

Another case of labour exploitation involving a luxury brand has emerged. This time it concerns LVMH-owned brand, Loro Piana. A Milan Court has ordered judicial administration for one year for Loro Piana. Frédéric Arnault has been the CEO of the company since June 10. According to Italian news agency Ansa, the measure taken by the judges of the...

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From volume to value: Bangladesh's garment strategy amid trade turmoil

Bangladesh’s garment industry seeks to shed its low-cost, large quantity image as it aims to capture higher-value business. At Best of Bangladesh, a fair and conference in the heart of Amsterdam, manufacturers and government officials advertised the world’s second largest garment producer’s transition, hoping to gain more business amid global...

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Fashion

In Italy, a new protocol is introduced to combat exploitation in fashion production

On May 26, Luca Sburlati, the president of the Italian textile association Confindustria Moda, signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) aimed at tackling illegality and exploitation in the local fashion production chain. With this, the Confindurstria Moda thus confirms its full willingness to collaborate with public institutions and other...