| We looked back on a busy year of creative actions, courageous movements and inspiring victories.
Across the world, so many people are taking action in different ways to change the garment industry. We are making change!
If you missed it, check out the whole Wrapped series on Instagram or Facebook. |
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| Adidas pranked by The Yes Men & CCC again! |
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Did adidas really show up to Europe's biggest tech event to announce it invented a cryptocurrency to avoid paying its workers? No!
It was a fake announcement by CCC and the Yes Men to expose adidas for still failing to sign the #PayYourWorkers agreement. |
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| Activists presented adidas’ history of workers’ rights abuses and announced the brand would start paying garment workers with a new crypto “adicoin”. They expected to get kicked off the stage immediately but it took the websummit more than 30 hours to realise they were dealing with an imposter. No journalist asked any hard questions. One even called the plan "revolutionary”.
Adicoin might have been a joke, but adidas’ exploitative attitude is very much real. In Cambodia alone, adidas owes garment workers at least $11.7 million in unpaid wages. Watch the action video here. |
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Safer factories for workers in Pakistan and Bangladesh |
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Garment workers in Pakistan, Bangladesh, and more countries soon are ensured of binding measures to make factories safe. The safety Accord, which started after the deathly Rana Plaza collapse of 2013, was renewed in November 2023. Over 100 brands have reconfirmed their commitment to safe factories.
Sadly, a group of brands including Levi's and Ikea has never taken this step to keep workers safe. Check whether your favourite brand is a notorious hold-out here. |
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| Violations of worker rights after Türkiye earthquake |
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Garment and textile workers were left to fend for themselves after the devastating earthquake in February 2023 in Türkiye.
A survey of 130 garment and textile workers shows that most did not receive their full wages in the weeks after the disaster. Financial hardship forced many to go back to work before finding safe accommodation or the factories were checked for safety. |
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The Pay Your Workers agreement would ensure workers who lose their jobs are paid what they are owed. All brands must sign it! |
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The fight continues for VK workers! |
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Burmese migrants sued UK supermarket giant Tesco in 2022 after being made to produce clothing in conditions similar to forced labour for illegally low pay.
While the court case continues, workers and their families are struggling to make ends meet, falling deeper into debt. Though workers were awarded a small compensation in Thailand, they have yet to receive a single penny. You can read more about their experience in this piece. |
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| It’s vital that we keep this case in the spotlight and tell Tesco to fully compensate the workers for the serious harms they suffered at VK Garments.
Take a moment to share the article on social media, tagging @Tesco and with the hashtag #JusticeforVKworkers, or with anyone you know who shops at Tesco. |
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Workers in Bangladesh repressed for fighting poverty wages |
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At least 4 people killed, 4,000 terminated from their jobs, 131 arrested and 20,000 facing charges.
Violence against workers reached unprecedented levels in the aftermath of this year’s minimum wage setting process. |
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| Workers have been demanding a minimum wage of at least $208 per month, the bare minimum needed to put workers above the poverty line. The new wage was set to an unacceptably low $113 per month, and will only be revised in 5 years.
But brands can still choose to pay their workers a living wage. H&M, Zara, Primark and Uniqlo are quick to show off their living wage commitments or make promises about worker rights. Yet, no brand has publicly condemned the violence against the workers nor committed to paying living wages.
> Read our open letter to fast fashion brands sourcing from Bangladesh here.
> If you are puzzled about H&M receiving praise for committing to increasing prices to match the new minimum wage, read our op-ed with Business Human Rights Resource Centre here. |
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