In a 2021 report, Swiss-based human rights organization Public Eye accused Chinese fashion giant Shine of requiring employees to work excessive overtime.
Public Eye published a follow-up report on Sunday stating that “illegal working hours and piecework wages remain typical features of the daily lives of the workers interviewed.”
“The ultra-fast fashion company, which is under pressure, is also under suspicion because of its opaque financials and the disappearance of its founder from the public eye,” Public Eye added. new report.
The Swiss advocacy group cited Shine’s “fast fashion” business model, which offers customers a vast online inventory of clothing at extremely low prices. The system works by shipping packages directly to customers around the world at very low shipping rates, rather than paying to warehouses and distribution centers in different countries.
Fast fashion also relies on extremely low production costs, meaning ultra-cheap labor and materials. The origin of fast fashion models is generally held It was to be a Spanish brand called ZARA, but Shein took advantage of China’s cheap factory labor, as well as fibers harvested there. cheap labor from completely slave – To sell a wider range of items at lower prices.
Public Eye interviewed more than a dozen bakery textile workers working for Shein and its suppliers in six factories in China and found that Shein doesn’t like to talk about its supply chain, so activists They had to do a little detective work to find the factory, which turned out to be 75 people. Even though Schein’s Supplier Code of Conduct sets a limit on his 60-hour workweek, the workweek “remains standard.”
“I work every day from 8 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. and take one day off every month. I can’t afford to take any more days off because it costs too much,” said one worker.
Interviewees said wages have also not improved much, with the average textile worker earning between 6,000 and 10,000 yuan (approximately $830 and $1,380 in US dollars) per month. The upper limit of that level is typically paid to middle-aged workers who have completed years of service. Experience with specialized skills.
These factories appear to require large amounts of undocumented and unpaid labor through policies such as forcing workers to fix mistakes on their own time. Otherwise, the supervisor could be subject to heavy fines.
Public Eye published a number of reports after the first report into Mr Shein’s labor practices was published in November 2021, including a British TV exposure called ‘Inside the Shein Machine’ which made headlines in 2022. He pointed out that he had received inquiries from overseas media.
The company feels enough pressure to commit to improvements, commissioning a “Supplier Factory Wage Survey Audit” in 2022, which will likely result in more reasonable labor requirements and lower wages at its Chinese factories. It has been found that the increase has been “above average”.
Public Eye characterized the audit as a dishonest public relations move that covered up how low the minimum wage Shein’s suppliers pay and how many hours a week employees must work to earn that wage. I gave it a kick. Several companies that helped prepare the audit that exonerated Mr. Schein have quietly denied the audit and removed supporting quotes from his website.
Public Eye investigators also found an alarming amount of smoking inside factories filled with flammable textiles and chemicals, and possibly started by workers who wanted their children to take over their jobs. They also found lax safety standards at Shein’s factory, including signs of possible child labor.
Investigators found that Shine made “demanding demands” on Chinese employees far beyond the factory floor. For example, it was discovered that they place strict demands on photographers, editors, and models to keep their ever-changing websites updated with tons of new products every week.
“The lack of change regarding excessive overtime and other findings indicates that Shane will only take on more social responsibility if he is subject to external pressure.”Public・Ai concluded, and was skeptical that such pressure was due to the rumored stock IPO. Investors are attracted to the company’s huge sales volume and high profit margins.
Shane Said The BBC reported on Sunday that the company was “working hard” to address labor issues and had made “significant progress in improving conditions”.
“We are actively working to improve our supplier practices, including ensuring autonomy over working hours and ensuring that workers are fairly compensated for their work. We also encourage continuous improvement and improvement in this area. We also recognize the importance of industry collaboration to ensure progress,” said Shein. He said.
The fashion retailer said it had no control over some details that Public Eye investigators noted at its supplier’s factories, such as an excessive number of surveillance cameras and the presence of children in the workplace, but Schein said “We do not tolerate children,” he said. “Workforce” and “all violations will be dealt with with the utmost severity.”
