INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
“That period was a time I was in hell” is how one woman describes her two years working for VK Garments (VKG) in Thailand
Hla Hla Tey, who at 54 has struggled to find work since losing her job and now lives in a monastery, is among 130 former workers who are
bringing a landmark case against Tesco in the UK
The supermarket giant stands accused of negligence and unjust enrichment on the basis of events at a clothing factory making F-F brand jeans
in Mae Sot, a city at the Myanmar border, between 2017 and 2020
The area is described as a wild west of the global garment industry, with western retailers and their subcontractors drawn by the promise of
cheap labour supplied by Burmese migrants.Attention at the moment is rightly focused on the adverse effects of rising prices
Particularly in the run-up to Christmas, the UK public is accustomed to being reminded about the financial and other difficulties faced by
people who are less fortunate than themselves
But the harmful impact of downward cost pressures must not be forgotten, even if those harms take place thousands of miles away
The demand for cheap goods, including new fashions, continues to lead to the exploitation of workers around the world, as employers vie with
one another to fulfil orders as cheaply as they can.Tesco says that the jeans made by VKG in Mae Sot were sold in Thailand, not Britain
But the relationship between the supermarket and its Thai branch, Ek-Chai (which has since been sold), VKG and an auditor, Intertek, is part
of a system developed by retailers that enables them to outsource risks as well as well as keep costs down
Following earlier scandals over dangerous and exploitative working conditions, the most dramatic of which was the Rana Plaza factory
collapse in Bangladesh in 2013, retailers have in some cases opted to extend supply chains further, placing more intermediaries between
themselves and the people making the clothes they sell.This is the system that is now being challenged
Lawyers at Leigh Day argue that vast profits are being made off the back of an outsourcing model built on overwork and illegally low pay
Experiences described to our reporter include serious injuries caused by machines, overnight shifts that left workers struggling to stay
awake, and employee bank accounts controlled by the factory
Most distressing of all, parents were obliged to leave children in insecure dormitories while working extended shifts, and in 2018 a
seven-year-old girl was raped
In many cases, including this one, workers say they were pressured by bosses not to report serious harm.In 2020 a Thai court ruled that
employees dismissed by VKG were entitled to severance pay
Their hope is that a UK court will go further, and hold Tesco and others accountable for their mistreatment
VKG denies breaking any Thai laws, while Tesco says that its human rights standards are robust
Whatever happens next, the case will shine a light on the way that workers at the far end of supply chains continue to suffer from labour
practices that should not be allowed
The desire for affordable goods should never override the rights of the people who are making them
British businesses must take responsibility for the consequences when they choose to operate in places such as Mae Sot, with a migrant
workforce known to be vulnerable.Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up
to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here.
This article first appeared/also appeared in theguardian.com
