Boohoo suppliers in Pakistan accused of paying workers 29p per hour

Some factories in Pakistan supplying clothes to Boohoo have been accused of paying workers 29p per hour and making them work in appalling conditions.

An investigation by the Guardian into the working conditions of two factories in the industrial city of Faisalabad found workers who claimed they were paid 10,000PKR (47 pounds) a month - well below the legal monthly minimum wage for unskilled labour of 17,500PKR.

There were also claims workers would sometimes do 24-hour shifts.

Documentary, video and photographic evidence seems to back up claims of safety issues, The Guardian said, including motorbikes being parked indoors next to flammable materials.

In response to seeing the report, Boohoo has suspended a supplier, JD Fashion Ltd, and a factory, AH Fashion, from its supply chain while it investigated the claims, The Guardian said.

Boohoo faces fresh accusations

The report comes just months after Boohoo concluded an independent review that found “many failings” in the factories of some of its suppliers in Leicester following an undercover investigation in July by The Sunday Times that allegedly exposed poor working conditions and illegal pay at Boohoo’s suppliers.

When publishing the results of the independent review, Boohoo announced its Agenda for Change programme in which it set out six steps to enhance its supplier audit and compliance procedures.

Last week, Boohoo co-founder and executive chairman Mahmud Kamani told MPs he would “fix whatever’s gone wrong” at his fast-fashion empire.

“We have made some mistakes but over the last 14 years we’ve got more right than wrong and we have a very very fast-growing business,” Kamani said while giving evidence to parliament’s Environmental Audit Committee as part of its investigation into the fashion industry.

“I’m determined to fix whatever’s gone wrong and I understand things have gone wrong because of the fast-growing nature of this business,” he said.

Boohoo also told the committee it had exited arrangements with 64 Leicester suppliers and factories since late 2019 after finding violations of its code of conduct.

Photo credit: Boohoo