You may also be Interested:
- Philippine Central Bank forecasts lower remittances due to Middle East, Japan events
Vittorio Hernandez – AHN News Manila, Metro Manila, Philippines (AHN) – The Philippine Central Bank said Monday it may reduce remittance forecasts for 2011 because of the political developments in the Middle East and the natural calamity in Japan that would impact the ability of overseas Filipino workers to send money home. Prior to these [...]
- College Internet Recruiting
Head Recruiting Coach Allie Kabat introduces you to the world of college internet recruiting and shows how to utilize NCSA in your search to find the right student-athlete.
- How Do I Apply for Scholarships?
Finding a scholarship that suits your requirements and for which you are eligible can be a time-consuming and difficult process. Unfortunately, many students spend hours and hours finding a scholarship yet fail to put an equal amount of effort into their application. The application is by far the most important part of your scholarship search; [...]
- Going on the Scholarship Search
When you are on a scholarship search, you’ll find that there are so many different things that you need to think about that it can get a little bit confusing and even frustrating. There are lots of scholarships out there but finding the ones that are going to suit you and that are worth applying [...]
- Chinese Elementary School Stampede Raises Safety Questions
Lawrence Mijares – AHN News Contributor Aksu City, China (AHN) – While elementary school children were walking down the stairs toward their playground, some fell triggering a stampede. According to reports nearly 100 students were hospitalized and one is listed as being in a coma. According to a government spokesman who refused to disclose his [...]
Report: British High Street Shops’ Asian Workers in Sweatshop Conditions
London, England, United Kingdom (AHN) – A report by two anti-poverty campaign groups released Sunday charged British High Street shops of exploiting their Asian workers by making the employees labor in sweatshop conditions. The groups named the retailers and brands as Marks & Spencer, Next, Monsoon, Debenhams, Dorothy Perkins and Miss Selfridge.
Aside from poor working conditions of Indian workers, the groups War on Want and Labor Behind the Label, said the retailers pay poverty salaries and go against labor laws to pare costs to a minimum.
According to the campaigners, some workers get less than $90 (GBP 60) monthly salary and work until 2 a.m. to meet orders for clothes shipped to Britain. Some employees work 140 extra hours a month, but receive only half the mandated overtime rate.
It is the second time that Marks & Spencer has been accused of sweatshop allegations. Marks & Spencer recently released its danced-themed TV commercial with talent show judge Dannii Minogue, models Twiggy and Lisa Snowdon, singer W Brown, comedian Peter Kay and football commentator Jamie Redknapp endorsing the clothing brand.
The ad carries the slogan, “Don’t put a foot wrong this Christmas” and ends with the tagline “Quality worth every penny. The $90 paid by Marks & Spencer to Indian workers monthly is more than 50 percent below the living wage of $189 (GBP 126) in India.
Sam Maher, author of the report and campaigner at Labor Behind the Label, said in a statement, “Workers interviewed from these factories spoke of living in a climate of fear, where violence and systematic exclusion from rights was a daily reality. These conditions and their poverty wages are inexcusable. Brands sourcing from Gurgaon must take action to stop violence against unionized workers and make sure they pay prices that allow for a living wage.”
Monsoon declined to comment on the report. Debenhams and Marks and Spencer said they take seriously allegations of worker exploitation which goes against their companies strict ethical standards. The Arcadia Group which owns two major labels said it welcome the probe into poor labor standards involving their Asian factory workers.
Marks & Spencer reported a $948.75 million (GBP 632.5 million) pre-tax profit for the year ended in March 2010.
View full post on Labor Stories