Workers Rights news and archive

Amazon fights off landmark union bid by UK staff

US e-commerce giant Amazon has fractionally fought off a bid by workers in Britain to win union recognition for the first time, the outcome of a ballot showed Wednesday. A total of 2,600 workers at the company's hub in Coventry, central England, voted 49.5-percent in favour of union recognition, just short of a necessary majority. The vote was...

Fashion

Italy watchdog probes Armani, Dior over supplier labour issues

Italy's competition watchdog said Wednesday that it was investigating luxury fashion groups Armani and Dior over allegations they used suppliers that underpaid and overworked their staff. As part of the probe, the AGCM watchdog and the Guardia di Finanza financial police on Tuesday carried out inspections at the headquarters of Giorgio Armani...

Business

Dior subsidiary placed under court administration due to exploitation allegations

An Italian subsidiary of French luxury brand Dior has been placed under court administration amid allegations of exploitation among its suppliers. A judge in Milan appointed an external director for Manufacturers Dior SRL after a probe into four of its Chinese-owned suppliers found evidence that they were mistreating workers, each of which had...

BusinessFeatured

In New York: Bills addressing retail safety and model protection receive Senate approval

Two bills aimed at safeguarding workers in the fashion industry and beyond have received Senate approval in New York, seeing them – finally – be passed on to the state’s governor to be, potentially, signed into law. The Retail Worker Safety Act, introduced in early 2024, and the Fashion Workers Act, which has been waiting for approval for three...

RetailFeatured

Retail Worker Safety Act passes New York Assembly

The New York Assembly passed the Retail Worker Safety Act last night, as retailer workers across the state face increasing violence and harassment in the workplace. The Act, a proposal for a workplace safety bill backed by retail unions in New York state, including Retail, Wholesale, and Department Store Union (RWDSU), seeks to mandate retail...

Business

Shein responds to Public Eye's report of alleged abuses: 'Does not recognise many accusations'

Fast fashion e-tailer Shein has responded to watchdog Public Eye’s report on ongoing alleged abuses of working conditions with a 30-paragraph statement on its website. The Switzerland-based organisation shared its findings after a survey and interviews with factory workers from Guangzhou, China, where concern surrounding poor working conditions...

BusinessFeatured

Model Alliance rallies for Fashion Workers Act ahead of Met Gala

Model Alliance, a research and policy organisation, rallied on the steps of the Metropolitan Museum of Art yesterday to spotlight the Fashion Workers Act, a bill proposal that hopes to regulate New York’s model management agencies. The rally, which was notably organised on the eve of Met Gala Monday, saw attendance from models, including Kaja...

Fashion |Opinion Featured

Giorgio Armani’s supply chain fiasco highlights complexity

Workers in an Italian factory who were found to be exploited while producing accessories for Giorgio Armani highlight the complexity of fashion supply chains. Even in a heavily regulated continent like Europe, it is possible to evade the systems in place to ensure worker safety and protection. Fashion supply chains are fragmented, involving...

BusinessFeatured

Spanish trade union CCOO sues Decathlon for violation of the right to freedom of association

The confrontation between the management of the multinational sports company Decathlon in Spain and the Spanish trade union Comisiones Obreras (CCOO) has not eased at all, but rather intensified. On 3 April, the union filed a lawsuit against the sports company for violating the right to freedom of association. Just a few weeks ago, Decathlon was...

Business

Zara owner Inditex workers protest after record profits

Workers at Inditex's Zara and other big name stores protested outside the company shops across Spain on Friday to demand better benefits after the world's biggest fashion retailer reported record profits and raised shareholder payouts. Blowing whistles and waving union flags, around 100 people demonstrated outside the flagship Bershka store on...

Business

AAFA calls on Bangladesh to stop 'threats' to garment workers

American Apparel & Footwear Association (AAFA) has called for an end to "the threats and crackdown on garment workers in Bangladesh" in an open letter addressed to the president of Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers & Exporters Association (BGMEA). In recent months, the protesters have been protesting against one of the lowest wages in the world,...

Business

Amazon repays 1.9 million to more than 700 Saudi workers over unlawful fees

Online retailer Amazon said Friday it had paid $1.9 million to more than 700 contracted workers in Saudi Arabia as reimbursements for unlawful recruitment fees, among other alleged violations. In October, Amnesty International accused Amazon of a range of abuses against workers in the oil-rich Gulf kingdom, prompting the US-based multinational...