British clothing industry exploits Bangladesh

When it comes to low wages, poor working conditions and horror stories of human rights in the manufacturing sector, the finger usually points to places such as china. The BBC have revealed that Britain is potentially no better, with textile workers in Bangladesh getting paid five pence an hour to make cheap clothes for our home-grown companies Tesco, Asda and Primark. A report stated that female workers are exploited to work 80 hours weeks in appalling conditions, nicknamed "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

The report noted that Primark, Tesco and Asda had all agreed to adhere to ethical treatment of workers under adequate conditions, but some of their suppliers were "regularly violating" such rules. "Bargain retailers such as Primark, Asda and Tesco are only able to sell low 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."

According to the BBC, a Tesco spokesman said workers at all its Bangladeshi suppliers were paid above the national minimum wage. "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. 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 spokesman. Asda said it conducted 13,000 factory audits worldwide to ensure workers were not being exploited. The investigation continues.