now the uk supermarkets tesco
sainsbury's and marx and spencer say
they are reviewing working practices
at one of their indian suppliers after a
bbc investigation
found evidence that workers were being
exploited women at the factory which
makes home textiles for the brands
said that they were forced to work
excessive hours and weren't even allowed
toilet breaks
the bbc also had claims of poor working
conditions from staff at an indian
supplier to ralph lauren
the american brand has said it will
investigate while south asia
correspondent reginathan has this report
in the world of fashion they're the
forgotten
the women who make our clothes a million
miles from the catwalk
they often live in dire poverty their
monthly salaries
barely enough to feed their families but
these women produce garments for some of
the world's biggest brands
ralph's talent beyond creating beautiful
things
is his talent to recognize people
ralph lauren's clothes don't come cheap
but women we spoke to
say they're paying a far higher price
workers at one south indian factory
which supplies the label
earn as little as three dollars a day
making clothes which sell
for hundreds they say they're forced to
work punishing hours to finish orders
and even end up sleeping on the factory
floor
we are made to work continuously often
through the night
sleeping at 3 am then waking up by 5 for
another full day of work
our bosses don't care they're only
bothered about production
they ask us to work so late i can't even
feed my children at night they shouldn't
treat us like slaves
they should give us respect in a
statement ralph lauren said it was
deeply concerned by the allegations
and will investigate we require all of
our suppliers to meet strict operating
standards to ensure a safe healthy and
ethical workplace
and we conduct regular third-party
audits at all factories
the factory concerned has denied all
allegations
we also talked to female staff at
another indian supplier
which produces home furnishings for big
british brands
such as tesco marks and spencer and
sainsbury's
speaking from their village the women
told us they're made to work in
appalling conditions
which would be unthinkable for employees
of the same brands
in the uk we're not given time to drink
water
we're not even given time to use the
bathroom
we barely get time to eat lunch
they have increased our workload we are
forced to stay late to finish it
or they yell at us and threaten to fire
us
we are scared in statements all three
supermarkets said they were shocked and
troubled to hear the reports
sainsburys said it's insisting on a
number of actions the supplier must take
in order for us to continue to work with
them
tesco's told us that plan includes
prohibiting excessive overtime
strengthening grievance procedures and
ensuring workers are fully compensated
at the correct rates for the hours
they've worked while marx and spencer
said
it has a robust plan in place and would
be undertaking
regular unannounced audits to ensure its
implementation
earlier in the year there was an outcry
after allegations of exploitation
emerged in british factories
supplying the fashion label boohoo but
activists say
the bigger issue lies in asia where most
of our clothes
are made exploitation happens for the
people who make our clothes around the
world
on a regular basis and but you know it's
out of view and people aren't engaging
with
who those people are but brands really
have a responsibility to
look at what's happening in their supply
chains and say are those people being
treated fairly
are those people being exploited as
consumers chase cheaper clothes
and brands bank bigger profits it seems
that the exploitation
of the women who make them is one thing
that hasn't gone out of fashion
regina vaidyanathan bbc news india