• Home
  • Politics
  • Health
  • World
  • Business
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • More
    • Sports
    • Entertainment
    • Lifestyle
What's Hot

Trump Announces First Post-Tariff Trade Deal

May 8, 2025

100 Funny Father’s Day Quotes for Hilariously Relatable Humor (and Plenty of Love Too)

May 8, 2025

Top 10 Benefits Of Acupuncture

May 8, 2025
Facebook Twitter Instagram
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms & Conditions
Friday, May 9
Patriot Now NewsPatriot Now News
  • Home
  • Politics

    Security video shows brazen sexual assault of California woman by homeless man

    October 24, 2023

    Woman makes disturbing discovery after her boyfriend chases away home intruder who stabbed him

    October 24, 2023

    Poll finds Americans overwhelmingly support Israel’s war on Hamas, but younger Americans defend Hamas

    October 24, 2023

    Off-duty pilot charged with 83 counts of attempted murder after allegedly trying to shut off engines midflight on Alaska Airlines

    October 23, 2023

    Leaked audio of Shelia Jackson Lee abusively cursing staffer

    October 22, 2023
  • Health

    Disparities In Cataract Care Are A Sorry Sight

    October 16, 2023

    Vaccine Stocks—Including Pfizer, Moderna, BioNTech And Novavax—Slide Amid Plummeting Demand

    October 16, 2023

    Long-term steroid use should be a last resort

    October 16, 2023

    Rite Aid Files For Bankruptcy With More ‘Underperforming Stores’ To Close

    October 16, 2023

    Who’s Still Dying From Complications Related To Covid-19?

    October 16, 2023
  • World

    New York Democrat Dan Goldman Accuses ‘Conservatives in the South’ of Holding Rallies with ‘Swastikas’

    October 13, 2023

    IDF Ret. Major General Describes Rushing to Save Son, Granddaughter During Hamas Invasion

    October 13, 2023

    Black Lives Matter Group Deletes Tweet Showing Support for Hamas 

    October 13, 2023

    AOC Denounces NYC Rally Cheering Hamas Terrorism: ‘Unacceptable’

    October 13, 2023

    L.A. Prosecutors Call Out Soros-Backed Gascón for Silence on Israel

    October 13, 2023
  • Business

    Trump Announces First Post-Tariff Trade Deal

    May 8, 2025

    Electric Vehicle Sales Nosedive As GOP Takes Buzzsaw To Biden’s Mandate

    May 7, 2025

    Tyson Foods Announces It Will Bend The Knee To Trump Admin’s New Rules

    May 7, 2025

    Federal Reserve Holds Interest Rates Steady Despite Pressure From Trump

    May 7, 2025

    ‘Wait Them Out’: John Kennedy Tells Larry Kudlow One Lie He Suspects China’s Telling US

    May 7, 2025
  • Finance

    Ending China’s De Minimis Exception Brings 3 Benefits for Americans

    April 17, 2025

    The Trump Tariff Shock Should Push Indonesia to Reform Its Economy

    April 17, 2025

    Tariff Talks an Opportunity to Reinvigorate the Japan-US Alliance

    April 17, 2025

    How China’s Companies Are Responding to the US Trade War

    April 16, 2025

    The US Flip-flop Over H20 Chip Restrictions 

    April 16, 2025
  • Tech

    Cruz Confronts Zuckerberg on Pointless Warning for Child Porn Searches

    February 2, 2024

    FTX Abandons Plans to Relaunch Crypto Exchange, Commits to Full Repayment of Customers and Creditors

    February 2, 2024

    Elon Musk Proposes Tesla Reincorporates in Texas After Delaware Judge Voids Pay Package

    February 2, 2024

    Tesla’s Elon Musk Tops Disney’s Bob Iger as Most Overrated Chief Executive

    February 2, 2024

    Mark Zuckerberg’s Wealth Grew $84 Billion in 2023 as Pedophiles Target Children on Facebook, Instagram

    February 2, 2024
  • More
    • Sports
    • Entertainment
    • Lifestyle
Patriot Now NewsPatriot Now News
Home»Business»H&M probes alleged Myanmar factory abuses as pressure intensifies
Business

H&M probes alleged Myanmar factory abuses as pressure intensifies

August 17, 2023No Comments5 Mins Read
Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email
Share
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Email
  • Cases of worker abuses at garment factories soar -report
  • H&M ‘deeply concerned’ by developments in Myanmar
  • Some brands increase supply chain monitoring
  • Spain’s Tendam plans to stop sourcing from Myanmar

LONDON, Aug 16 (Reuters) – H&M (HMb.ST) is investigating 20 alleged instances of labour abuse at Myanmar garment factories that supply the world’s second-largest fashion retailer, it told Reuters, just weeks after top rival Zara-owner Inditex (ITX.MC) said it was phasing out purchases from the Southeast Asian country.

A British-based human rights advocacy group tracked 156 cases of alleged worker abuse in Myanmar garment factories from February 2022 to February 2023, up from 56 in the previous year, indicating a deterioration of workers’ rights since a military coup in February 2021.

Wage reduction and wage theft were the most frequently reported allegations, followed by unfair dismissal, inhumane work rates, and forced overtime, according to a report by the non-governmental organisation, the Business and Human Rights Resource Centre (BHRRC).

“All the cases raised in the report by BHRRC are being followed up and where needed remediated through our local team on the ground and in close cooperation with relevant stakeholders,” H&M said in a statement.

“We are deeply concerned by the latest developments in Myanmar, and we see increased challenges to conduct our operations according to our standards and requirements,” the Swedish retailer said.

The BHRRC has tracked allegations of workers’ rights abuses in Myanmar garment factories since the military junta took power, plunging the country into political and humanitarian crisis. The tracker includes abuse cases at 124 separate factories.

See also  SoftBank's Arm starts IPO road show in Baltimore to court T. Rowe Price

The BHRRC said it tracks cases of alleged abuses through sources including union leaders, international media, and local media such as Myanmar Labour News, and seeks to verify reports by checking with brands and interviewing workers. Reuters has not independently verified its findings.

There have been 21 cases of alleged abuses linked to Inditex suppliers over the two-year period, and 20 linked to H&M suppliers, according to the report. Inditex declined to comment on the report.

A spokesperson for Myanmar’s military government did not reply to a request for comment on the findings. The Myanmar Garment Manufacturing Association did not reply to a request for comment.

MADE IN MYANMAR

The decision by Inditex to cut ties with Myanmar suppliers came after Primark (ABF.L) and Marks & Spencer (MKS.L) announced plans to exit last year, in a trend that some say could ultimately leave garment workers worse off.

Spanish fashion retailer Tendam also plans to stop sourcing from Myanmar, it said in its response to a BHRRC survey of brands published alongside the report.

“We do have a plan to leave the country but [it] has not been announced yet,” Tendam wrote, without detailing its reasons. Tendam did not immediately reply to a request for comment.

Primark told Reuters it expects its final orders from Myanmar suppliers to ship before the end of this year, but has also increased its presence on the ground.

“As we work towards our exit, we’ve doubled the size of our Ethical Trade team on the ground, enabling us to more regularly visit the factories we still work with and giving us greater visibility,” Primark said in an email on Wednesday.

See also  Coca-Cola lifts forecasts as earnings sparkle on higher prices, steady demand

Some brands continuing to source from Myanmar have also ramped up monitoring of suppliers.

Danish fashion company Bestseller increased its number of staff in its Myanmar office from three to 11 since the coup, it said in its survey response.

H&M, Bestseller, and Tendam are among 18 brands forming part of the European Union-funded MADE project aimed at improving labour conditions in Myanmar’s garment factories.

The EU’s stance is that companies should continue sourcing from Myanmar, where the garment industry is a key employer, with more than 500 factories producing clothes and shoes for big brands.

“By engaging as a company in discussions with local labour rights groups and trade unions on wages and labour conditions you can have leverage,” said Karina Ufert, CEO at the European Chamber of Commerce in Myanmar. “By leaving the country, it is difficult to see how you can have an influence on local conditions.”

Vicky Bowman, former British ambassador to Myanmar and director of the Myanmar Centre for Responsible Business, said the international brands under pressure to stop buying from Myanmar were also the most likely to provide stable jobs and take additional steps to guard against rights abuses.

“If they leave, either the jobs disappear entirely, or factories scrabble to receive orders from footloose buying agents who care only about cheap labour and do not worry about factory conditions,” Bowman told Reuters.

In the BHRRC survey, some of the world’s biggest apparel brands detailed their approach to the dilemma.

In its response, sportswear giant Adidas (ADSGn.DE) wrote: “Despite the human rights and labor rights risks which have been identified, we believe that through enhanced human rights due diligence measures, we can continue to do business in Myanmar in a responsible manner and in alignment with core ILO (International Labour Organization) conventions, the UN Guiding Principles, and the OECD Guidelines.”

See also  REPORT: Conor McGregor Storms Out Of UK Funeral After Alleged Incident

Britain’s Next (NXT.L) wrote that it had considered withdrawing from Myanmar, but “whilst it can send a clear signal to the local government that its policies and practices are unacceptable, it can do huge damage to local communities and workers, depriving them of desperately needed investment and wages.”

Reporting by Helen Reid, Additional reporting by Corina Pons, Editing by Emelia Sithole-Matarise, Alexandra Hudson and Mark Potter

: .

Acquire Licensing Rights, opens new tab

London-based reporter covering the European retail sector through a global lens. Focusing on companies including Adidas, H&M, Ikea, and Inditex and analysing corporate strategy, consumer trends, and regulatory changes, Helen also covers major supermarket groups like Ahold Delhaize, Carrefour, and Casino. She has a special interest in sustainability and how investors push for change in companies. Previously based in Johannesburg where she covered the mining industry.
Contact: +447584155200

Abuses Alleged Factory Intensifies Myanmar pressure Probes
Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email

Related Posts

Trump Announces First Post-Tariff Trade Deal

May 8, 2025

Electric Vehicle Sales Nosedive As GOP Takes Buzzsaw To Biden’s Mandate

May 7, 2025

Tyson Foods Announces It Will Bend The Knee To Trump Admin’s New Rules

May 7, 2025

Federal Reserve Holds Interest Rates Steady Despite Pressure From Trump

May 7, 2025
Add A Comment

Leave A Reply Cancel Reply

Top Posts

Tiger Woods, Nike Could End Longtime Partnership by the End of the Month

December 6, 2023

Start time, TV and streaming details

August 9, 2023

Big Tech AI Partnership Promotes Critical Race Theory, Marxist Teachings

July 13, 2023

Vitol Says LNG to Be Diverted to Europe

September 5, 2023
Don't Miss

Trump Announces First Post-Tariff Trade Deal

Business May 8, 2025

President Donald Trump announced Thursday the U.S. has reached a trade agreement with the U.K.,…

100 Funny Father’s Day Quotes for Hilariously Relatable Humor (and Plenty of Love Too)

May 8, 2025

Top 10 Benefits Of Acupuncture

May 8, 2025

Electric Vehicle Sales Nosedive As GOP Takes Buzzsaw To Biden’s Mandate

May 7, 2025
About
About

This is your World, Tech, Health, Entertainment and Sports website. We provide the latest breaking news straight from the News industry.

We're social. Connect with us:

Facebook Twitter Instagram Pinterest
Categories
  • Business (4,110)
  • Entertainment (4,220)
  • Finance (3,202)
  • Health (1,938)
  • Lifestyle (1,626)
  • Politics (3,084)
  • Sports (4,036)
  • Tech (2,006)
  • Uncategorized (4)
  • World (3,944)
Our Picks

LSU Gymnast Olivia Dunne to Grace Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition

April 30, 2023

Who Cares If Malaysia and Thailand Join BRICS?

July 26, 2024

Fed rate decision September 2023: Leaves rates unchanged

September 20, 2023
Popular Posts

Trump Announces First Post-Tariff Trade Deal

May 8, 2025

100 Funny Father’s Day Quotes for Hilariously Relatable Humor (and Plenty of Love Too)

May 8, 2025

Top 10 Benefits Of Acupuncture

May 8, 2025
© 2025 Patriotnownews.com - All rights reserved.
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms & Conditions

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.