Workers Rights news and archive

Fashion brands reaffirm support for Pakistan Accord for factory safety

Consultations between over 100 brands, retailers and trade union representatives have led to an extension of the Pakistan Accord, a country-specific agreement within the International Accord. With the new signature, the fashion companies confirm their joint commitment to improved labour and safety standards in the Pakistani supply chain. The...

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Adidas faces global union pressure over collective bargaining practices

Trade union representatives from key Adidas supplier countries gathered in Tangerang, Indonesia, earlier this month to discuss labour standards, collective bargaining and working conditions across the brand’s global supply chain. Around 30 union delegates from Cambodia, Indonesia, Pakistan, India and Myanmar attended, alongside representatives...

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Agreement reached on weakened EU supply chain law

The EU is set to weaken its European supply chain law, designed to protect human rights, even before its implementation. Negotiators from EU member states and the European Parliament have agreed in Brussels that the regulations will now apply to a much smaller number of large companies, as announced by both parties. The amendment still requires...

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Italy sweatshop probe snares more luxury brands

Italian prosecutors on Thursday named Gucci, Prada, Versace and Yves Saint Laurent as among 13 luxury brands suspected of using subcontractors who exploited migrant workers in Italy, as part of a growing investigation into sweatshop conditions. Milan prosecutor Paolo Storari issued requests for information about alleged abuses by the brands,...

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Italy's luxury brands shaken by sweatshop probes

A series of investigations into exploitative work conditions within fashion subcontractors has roiled Italy's luxury industry, with the government decrying attacks on "Made in Italy". Five fashion brands have been put under court administration since 2024 following probes by Milan prosecutors that uncovered worker abuses and a lack of oversight...

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Italy probes Tod's executives over labour exploitation

Italian prosecutors are investigating three executives from luxury fashion label Tod's, as well as the company itself, for alleged labour exploitation, according to a court document seen Thursday by AFP. Milan Prosecutor Paolo Storari had previously requested a six-month ban on the company's advertising, with Judge Domenico Santoro fixing a...

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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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Go Outdoors among companies fined for underpaying staff

Go Outdoors has been named as one of the nearly 500 employers to be fined by the UK government for failing to pay staff National Minimum Wage. The Lancashire-headquartered retailer was targeted as part of a wider government crackdown on companies underpaying their employees, contributing to wider efforts to overhaul workers’ rights in the UK....

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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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Asos tackles the 'hidden workers' in retail supply chains

Asos has become the first major e-commerce retailer to sign a legally-binding human rights agreement with the International Transport Workers' Federation (ITF). The September 2025 deal covers direct transport operations and logistics of the British fashion company —plus all subcontractors. This makes Asos the first retailer with union...