COVID-19 Snapshots

What does the COVID-19 

wage gap mean for 

garment workers?

Content 

#PayYourWorkers 

live-blog statistics 

h&m 

primark 

nike 

UN(DER)PAID IN THE PANDEMIC 

national struggle in cambodia 

covid-19 strikes everywhere


Disruption of supply chains, cancellations of orders, and often hastily 

imposed lockdowns in garment producing countries have gravely 

impacted garment workers’ livelihoods. 

With poverty wages being the norm in the garment industry, millions of 

women workers were already struggling to feed their families, and 

deeply in debt. 

While thousands of factories were closed for weeks or even months 

during the COVID-19 pandemic, many of the workers received only a 

portion of their regular wages, if they were paid at all.


Our research published in August shows that in some countries 

workers received less than 25% of their regular wages in April and 

workers globally may have an estimated shortfall of income between 3.2 

and 5.8 billion USD during the first three months of the pandemic. 

Apparel brands and retailers need to do two things to 

ensure the workers who make their clothes are paid 

during and beyond this crisis: 

1. #PayUp in full on orders placed before the pandemic. 

2. #PayYourWorkers : Make sure all workers are paid 

their regular income during the pandemic by committing 

to the wage assurance and joining a severance guarantee 

fund.


The #PayUp campaign has swayed over twenty brands to commit to 

paying for their orders that were in production at the start of the 

pandemic. Many of these brands retreated from the order 

cancellations they had initially imposed on their suppliers, meaning 

that workers could at least be paid some of what they were owed. 

It's time for brands to take the next step. We have asked them kindly 

since June. What are brands waiting for? Workers can't wait. 

H&M, Primark, and Nike, the brands featured in this report, are some 

of the most regularly named supply chains when workers raise their 

voice about not being paid or facing dismissal. Workers also name 

many other apparel brands and retailers that have left workers unpaid 

in their supply chains, including Bestseller (Jack & Jones), Next, 

Arcadia (Topshop) and Inditex (Zara). 

To hold brands accountable, we all need to show that it is unacceptable 

that workers are left unpaid during the pandemic. It's time for action.


Beyond wages: Union busting 

The growing economic insecurity caused by the pandemic 

means that union-busting is on the rise. Union members face 

discrimination and retaliation in many factories, and a lot of 

these trade unionists have been dismissed because they raise 

concerns over non-payment of wages, lack of proper 

implementation of social distancing and sanitation, or, simply, 

because this crisis is as good a chance as any to get rid of a 

union. Often fired workers will not receive the severance they 

are legally owed and they have little chance to find a new job 

quickly in the current job market, leaving them penniless.


Shutterstock/Sk Hasan Ali 

Beyond wages: Safety 

Many workers have to work in unsafe factories. Where the 

improper use or storage of hazardous chemicals and unsafe 

factory buildings were a problem before the pandemic, 

cramped working conditions and a lack of hygienic facilities 

can make factories dangerous places to be during the 

pandemic. Brands need to protect their workers. 

Here is a full list of what brands should do.


“Brands and retailers must take swift action to ensure that 

the workers who enabled their profits receive 

the wages they are owed. As brands are responsible for 

structural inequalities in supply chains that have left garment 

workers in destitution, each brand must publicly commit to 

taking responsibility for workers’ wages. Brands should then 

work together to establish funds and take out loans if 

necessary to cover workers’ wages.” 

Labour Education Foundation Director Khalid Mahmood from 

Pakistan in an op-ed for Reuters

Before the pandemic 

hit, brands already 

cut down on prices, 

leaving workers with 

poverty wages. 

During the lockdowns 

they cancelled 

orders, leaving 

workers unpaid. 

Still, many workers 

are underpaid as 

brands are cautious in 

placing orders. 

Workers are left unpaid


Clean Clothes Campaign has collected reports from the media and our 

network on how the pandemic influenced garment workers world-wide. 

The wave of order cancellations from March onwards, when most of the 

headquarter countries started going into lockdown, severely exacerbated 

the already dire situation of garment workers. 

The live-blog that we have continuously updated since 17 March provides 

snapshots of the implications of the pandemic and primarily contains 

information from the regions where our network is the strongest.


COVID-19 

related 

labour 

violation 

cases in the 

garment 

industry 

The factory-level violations reported in our live-blog form the tip of an 

iceberg of cases that have not reached us - because workers were 

afraid to speak up, unaware who to reach out to, or the media failed to 

pick up their case. 

In the first six months of the pandemic - we took a sample from 17 

March to 5 September - we noted 193 cases of worker rights 

violations.


The most frequently reported issue was non-payment of wages. Among 

72 such cases reported on the live-blog H&M, C&A, Next, Arcadia 

(Topshop), PVH (Calvin Klein, Tommy Hilfiger), and Primark were named 

most often. 

This shows that the ongoing responsibility of brands extends beyond 

the payment of orders: three of these brands - H&M, PVH, and Next - 

already indicated in March and April that they would pay for all orders 

despite their earlier cancellations. Nevertheless, workers in their supply 

chains were left without an income during the pandemic. 

Workers need an assurance that they will be paid by the brands 

wielding the power over the supply chain.


Workers who are not paid might still retain their jobs for the future, 

but in many cases workers are simply laid off en masse, either 

because factories are bankrupt, to keep from paying mandatory 

bonuses, or to get rid of unwanted workers such as union members. 

In times of severely shrinking employment opportunities, in countries 

where unemployment insurance or other forms of social safety nets 

are absent, dismissal often means hunger.


Major brands' rights violations 

during COVID-19 

The live-blog gives valuable insights into which labour rights violations 

started to spike during the pandemic: 

non-payment of wages, mass dismissals, disregard of health and safety, 

and union busting. It also shows which brands kept on being named 

over and over again, they include H&M and Primark. One of the supply 

chains where workers organised most because they were affected en 

masse, is Nike.


The large majority of these workers will not have access to the 

severance payments they are legally entitled to, as these should be 

paid by the employer, who often initiated the dismissals out of 

financial hardship. Enforcement of this mandatory pay is also 

generally lacking. 

In the cases of mass-dismissal and non-payment of severance reported 

in our live-blog during this period, H&M, Inditex (Zara), Bestseller 

(Vero Moda), Mango, C&A, and PVH were named most often.


A breakdown of worker rights violations at H&M, Primark 

and Nike reported to the live-blog.

h&m 

When we have heard about cases of non-payment of wages or 

mass-dismissal during the pandemic, the brand most often 

mentioned is H&M: one of the biggest fast fashion brands in the 

world. H&M paid up on orders at an early stage but has forgotten 

that this is not enough to ensure that workers receive their full 

regular wage during the pandemic.

h&m - WINDY 

Garment workers have held a symbolic hunger strike calling for the 

reinstatement of workers in the Windy Group, which supplies to H&M 

and Zara. Three thousand workers have been retrenched in the three 

only unionised factories of the Windy Group. When workers from 

Saybolt Tex Ltd factory tried to engage in union activities, all 1600 

workers were retrenched by management. At Windy Wet & Dry Process 

Ltd., 200 workers were dismissed after submitting union papers for 

registration to the Labour Ministry. At Tanaz Fashion Ltd., 1200 

workers were dismissed after starting to unite in order to form a union.

h&m - WINDY 

These workers were not only denied their right to organise and speak 

out, they also failed to receive their legally owed wages and severance. 

In Saybold Tex, workers received 60% of their April wages from a 

government fund, however, since factories are not legally entitled to 

government incentive if they lay off workers, no full wages have been 

paid since. The retrenched workers also failed to receive the 

compensation they were legally owed. In Tanaz Fashion, workers 

received only 60% of their May salary and did not receive full 

compensation upon retrenchment.

h&m - WINDY 

"H&M and Zara supplier WINDY group victimized 

3000 garment workers by illegal factory closure 

and retrenchment during this Corona crisis. They 

even did not pay the legal compensation. These 

3000 workers are now unemployed, they will have 

trouble finding a new job and are facing hunger." 

Amirul Haque Amin, President of the National 

Garment Workers federation

H&M has said that: 

“Due to the lockdown in Bangladesh, as well as the drop in customer 

demand that fashion brands and buyers have experienced as a result 

of COVID-19, the supplier you refer to has partially closed down two 

units that produce for, among others, H&M Group. All workers 

affected by the layoffs have been compensated in accordance with 

national legislation and agreements with trade unions.” 

We want to know from H&M - What are you doing to ensure 

justice for these workers? 

Fazlur Rahman, aged 35. 

Tanaz Fashion. 

Fired. 

He borrows money from 

colleagues who still have their 

jobs to support his family with 

two children. 

Who is affected? 

h&m - WINDY

h&m - WINDY 

Who is affected? 

Taslima Begum, aged 25. 

Saybolt Tex. 

Fired. 

She used to work up to 19 

hours per day to increase her 

wage of 8000 BDT (94 USD) to 

14,500 BDT (171 USD) 

a month to support her 

mother and son living in the 

countryside. 

via Dagens Nyheter

h&m - ECC II 

A case of mass dismissal in India grabbed public attention when 

a video of protesting workers went viral in June 2020. 

Garment workers from the Euro Clothing Company II factory, owned by 

Gokaldas Exports, were demonstrating outside the factory daily, 

following a surprise announcement on 6 June that all 1,200 workers of 

the unionised factory would be laid off as of 8 June, without legally 

required government approval. This happened despite the fact that 

this factory solely supplied H&M, a brand that had committed to 

paying suppliers in full for orders completed or in production. 

Image via New Trade Union Initiative

h&m - WINDY 

“They did not even give us 

notice. 

They told us they’ve stopped 

receiving orders from H&M.” 

Kumar (Worker at ECC II) 

via VICE News

h&m - ECC II 

The union had become a nuisance for the factory owners as it 

challenged the underpayment of workers during the pandemic. When 

the factory reopened after the lockdown in May, workers who were 

able to return to the factory to work were only paid 50% of their 

already poverty-level wages. 

Those who had to stay at home, because public transportation 

remained suspended following the government declared nationwide 

lockdown, received nothing at all. After the closure of the factory in 

June and the start of the protest, the management has indicated that 

it will only pay severance to the workers who agree to resign.

h&m - WINDY 

“I have sweated here for the past 10 years 

for 348 rupees [$4.60] day. 

They wanted to get rid of the union for a 

long time, and now they’re using COVID-19 as 

an excuse.” 

Padma - Union Leader and Worker at ECC II 

via Thomson Reuters Foundation

"Two factory officials came to a 

worker's residence in 

Pandavapura coercing them to 

resign, saying that the factory will 

not open again. They had lists of 

details of other workers who were 

in the unit." 

h&m - WINDY 

Jayaram KR, from the Garment and Textile 

Workers Union (GATWU) 

via The News Minute.

h&m - ecc ii 

“We are living on borrowed money. We 

have been unable to get other jobs 

because of the coronavirus pandemic. We 

have to borrow money to pay our rent and 

feed our children.” 

Lakshmamma (Sewing operator at ECC II) 

via The News Minute

h&m - ECC II 

H&M has officially said that the company was in dialogue with the 

union and the management of Euro Clothing. In the meantime, 

however, factory officials intimidated workers, successfully coercing 

them to resign and defaming the unions involved. 

What is H&M doing to make sure workers are paid and reinstated?

h&m - ecc ii 

“We are now losing our hopes. I am 

depending only on this job. My family 

[runs] on my earnings. From April I 

am getting only half salary, it’s so 

difficult.” 

Sobha - Secing operator at ECC II 

via Eco-Age

primark 

Primark tried to dodge the responsibility to pay for orders by 

promising a wage fund. Only months later did the company finally 

commit to paying its suppliers in full. Now we want to know, can 

Primark prove that the workers who sew its clothes actually 

received their full regular wages during factory closures?

primark - mass protests in 

bangladesh 

Image: Workers block a 

highway on 13 April 2020 

during a wage protest. These 

are not the same workers as 

mentioned below. 

Shutterstock/Sk Hasan Ali. 

In April and May, workers in Bangladesh took to the streets and 

blocked highways to protest the government's decision that factories 

would have to pay workers only 60-65% of their wages. 

On 9 and 10 May, around 4,000 workers from Primark suppliers Doreen 

Apparels Ltd and Doreen Garments Ltd factories in Dhaka, blocked a 

highway demanding their full April wage. Workers urged that the 

factories reopen, after they were closed for an indefinite period, 

hoping that that would mean they could earn their full salaries again. 

The workers withdrew when management assured that the factories 

would open soon.

primark - mass protests 

“From the first week of March, our line-in charge said, 

the situation is not good in China, the factory cannot 

import raw materials, the buyers are not interested to 

order anymore and even they want to cancel the order 

we already have done. We were in fear from then on. ... 

On March 25, the factory management called 10 

operators of the cutting section along with me to the 

admin office after lunch. When I saw the bundles of 

money on the table, I understood we are going to 

being dismissed..." 

A garment worker in a Primark supplier factory 

in Bangladesh


“The officer said that the factory cannot keep you 

because of lack of the orders. So, we have to 

dismiss non-permanent workers like you people. 

... We requested them and told, if we lost the job 

how we will survive, what we will eat, how we will 

pay house rent? But the officer replied, we 

cannot do anything, we cannot afford to keep you 

in work anymore. ... The management gave me 

11,453 BDT [134 USD] in total, and told me not to 

come back.” 


in Bangladesh








bangladesh 

Other workers in Primark's supply chain also took to the streets on the 

same days. Workers from Rose Intimates Ltd, which also supplies other 

major brands such as Bestseller, Matalan and Peacocks, joined protests 

demanding full payment of wages and the possibility to get back to 

work. Later in the same month, over 300 workers - one third of the 

workforce - was dismissed. These workers only received a part of the 

compensation they were legally owed.


“I always live hand to mouth. The income and the cost 

are always almost equal. I reduce my food cost to send 

more money to my daughter and my mother. I have 

nothing to reduce or to curtail. I’m at the border line 

... When my neighbours go to their factories, I look at 

them. I can’t stop my tears ... From whom could I 

borrow money? I’m an orphan, my father passed away 

when I was an infant, my maternal uncles are also very 

poor day-labourers.” 


in Bangladesh








bangladesh 

Workers of Fakir Knitwears Ltd. supplying to Primark and H&M 

protested to receive an advance of 50% of their May wages and 

bonuses before the Eid-ul-Fitr holiday on 24 May. 

The factory management promised to pay the wages on time, but 

instead filed false criminal charges of vandalism against 100-150 

workers of the factory, accusing them of damaging valuable factory 

property. In response, the police arrested two workers. In June, 

workers therefore continued to protest the arrest of their colleagues 

and demand their reinstatement.


Wage protests also continued in June: hundreds of workers of Primark 

supplier KAC Fashionwear Limited blocked a highway demanding to 

return to work and be paid full salaries. Even after the lockdown ended, 

only 500 out of 6000 workers were back at work and paid. 

“After paying the salary of April, the company told us to stay at 

home since many orders have been cancelled. They promised the 

workers who were sent to layoff that they will pay them a minimum 

salary. But now they are paying only to the 500 workers who are 

working currently. The company took our identity cards while 

paying the last salary saying they need it for so-called official 

documentation. They are denying now to give our ID cards back, 

which means our jobs are not secured here anymore.” 

Bokul Hossain, garment worker at KAC Fashionwear Limited 

via United News of Bangladesh


highway in May 2020 in Dhaka 



mentioned above. 



bangladesh 

In most cases we last heard from these workers in May and June and we 

want to know now from Primark: What happened since? Have they 

received the wages they were owed?

primark - Kassim 

On 15 June, workers protesting the dismissal 

of 35 of their co-workers at the Primark 

supplier Kassim Garments in Karachi, 

Pakistan, were fired at by the factory guards. 

Four workers were injured and rushed to the 

hospital. When the police arrived, not the 

guards, but fifteen of the workers were 

arrested. 

Eventually, the workers were released, but we 

would like to hear from Primark: does this 

mean now all is fine in this factory? 

Are workers fully paid and have dismissed 

workers been compensated?

primark 

“Firstly, the factory was closed for ten water festival 

holidays in April. Then it closed for nine days for 

inspections of the factory. Then after that, I was 

dismissed on 14 May 2020. ... Normally my salary was 

250,000 MMK [189 USD] per month as an average 

including overtime. Management claimed the layoffs 

were legal and in accordance with the standard 

procedure, but to me it was not in accordance with the 

law, so it must be the company's home-made 

standards. ... The workers had to sign under pressure. 

And they also didn’t give us the payslips. We had to 

sign on those slips that included the way they 

calculated the compensations.” 

Worker in Myanmar in a factory producing 

for Primark and Zara

primark 

“Since this is the COVID time, the prices of every 

good has increased, so it’s really hard for us to 

survive. 

I received 240,000 MMK before COVID. But since 

the COVID-19 started stepping into the country, 

I’ve got only a slightly more than 100,000 [76 USD] 

... I have pawned my wife's earrings. If the 

situation is getting worse, I will take them back 

and sell them to get more money than the amount 

of the pawning.” 

Worker in Myanmar in a factory producing 

for Primark and Zara

Kalpona Akter - President of the Bangladesh 

Garment and Industrial Workers Federation

nike 

Workers tell us that they were underpaid and even fired without 

legally-mandated compensation at factories supplying for Nike. 

We support their struggle and ask Nike: You paid for orders, but 

what about ensuring your workers get what they are owed?

nike - pt victory ching luh 

The Victory Ching Luh factory in Indonesia started laying off workers 

when the first effects of the pandemic were being felt. 

The first time, around 500 trainee workers had to go. Then, in the next 

wave of lay-offs, almost 5,000 workers were dismissed. The unions 

represented in the factory were not consulted. Union representatives 

say the lay-offs were caused by Nike cutting down on orders.


The livelihood of the 17,000 remaining workers was not secured by 

the dismissal of their colleagues. Union representatives report to 

have unsuccessfully opposed cuts on workdays and wages since 

July. The factory threatens that if the wage cuts are not accepted by 

the unions, thousands of more workers will be laid off.


union leaders say: 

"We asked that management 

cut hours and overtime 

instead but they said the 

lay-offs were unavoidable." 

Mr Suwandi Hekkindo, head of 

GSBI labour union 

"The factories are using 

COVID-19 as an excuse 

to fire workers and 

move somewhere 

cheaper.” 

Mr Ramidi, General 

Sceretary of SPN labour 

union 

“The off-days are not what workers want, but that’s the 

company’s decision. So [money lost from] salary cuts 

due to the off-days should be given back to workers.” 

Emelia Yanti Siahaan, Secretary-General of GSBI


jemirah, operator and union 

leader at victory ching luh 

"Before the pandemic, 

everything was normal. Wage 

and overtime were paid fully. But 

then, management started to say 

that orders decreased, there’s no 

income. We didn’t believe it, so 

we ask the management to [give 

us] proof, to show evidence." 

"The management didn’t consult with us about the dismissal, they 

just gathered all the unions and told us that they have to reduce 

workers. … In June, the management told us that, in order to avoid 

further dismissal, the management will reduce the workdays for 

three months and will apply no work no pay..."


“Nike, we, with our hands, make your shoes. We make it 

as you requested. We made you gain profits. Huge 

profits. Why are you silent when your supplier cuts our 

wage? You must take responsibility. In pandemic 

situation, you are the first that should pay more 

attention to us. You should be responsible with your 

suppliers’ conduct. Workers are assets. What is the use 

of the materials if no one shape them to something? 

What are the machines if there is no one to operate 

them?” 

Jemirah, operator and union leader at 

Victory Ching Luh


“Don’t put the burden of 

COVID-19’s impact solely on 

the shoulders of workers.” 

via The Jakarta Post 

Emelia Yanti Siahaan, 

Secretary-general of union GSBI

nike - violet apparel 

Violet Apparel, supplier of Nike, Matalan, C&A and Carters, announced 

to workers on 30 June that it would close permanently the next day 

because of lack of orders. Over one thousand workers, including 

pregnant women, were dismissed and the factory owners have refused 

to pay severance to the workers as required by Cambodian law, leaving 

the workers penniless in the midst of a pandemic. 

In the two months before 

the factory closed, the 

factory had already 

suspended workers due to 

lack of work, paying them 

only 30 USD 

a month. Hundreds of 

workers protested after 

the announcement.


“We hope we will get justice 

and want the factory to 

respect the law and provide 

workers with what they are 

due.” 

Via Phnom Penh Post 

Ong Chanthoeun, 

a worker at Violet Apparel


Workers confirm the factory was producing for Nike and did so 

regularly, even if Nike denies the sourcing relationship. The factory’s 

parent company is a recognised Nike supplier and workers have 

provided evidence of subcontracting activity at their factory.


Cambodia Confederation of Unions president Rong Chhun was 

arrested after he led Violet workers to protest in front of the 

Ministry of Labour and sent a petition to the prime minister. 

The workers have not been paid advance notice pay.

UN(DER)PAID IN THE 

PANDEMIC REPORT 

The Un(der)paid in the pandemic report calculated the lost 

wages of roughly 13 million workers across seven countries. 

The wage gap, although based on only rough estimates, 

indicates the amount of funding that is needed to make 

garment workers wages whole. 

The calculations of workers’ wages are based on the minimum 

monthly wage for the garment sector in each country surveyed. 

Importantly however, many workers earn, on average, more 

than their country’s minimum wage when including regular 

overtime hours, bonuses, and other allowances.

WAGE GAP - BANGLADESH 

258 facilities 


wage gap 

march-may: 

501 

million USD 

These are estimates as 

explained in the Un(der)paid 

in the pandemic report by CCC

CAMBODIA - WAGE GAP 

32 facilities 

22 facilities 

12 facilities 

wage gap 

march-may: 

123.59 

million USD 




WAGE GAP - INDIA 



7 facilities 

wage gap 

march-may: 

259.72 

million USD 




WAGE GAP - INDONESIA 

78 facilities 

38 facilities 

wage gap 

march-may: 

405.32 

million USD 




WAGE GAP - MYANMAR 

48 facilities 

12 facilities 

wage gap 

march-may: 

64.26 

million USD 




PAKISTAN - WAGE GAP 

32 facilities 

23 facilities 

6 facilities 

wage gap 

march-may: 

320.88 

million USD 




WAGE GAP - SRI LANKA 

20 facilities 

10 facilities 

6 facilities 

wage gap 

march-may: 

24.05 

million USD 




Jobless in Bangladesh 

Former garment worker Taniya has to sell tea and 

cigars on street to survive after losing her job 

during the Covid-19 crisis. 

Shutterstock/Sk Hasan Ali

the national struggle in cambodia 

Workers, their unions, and labour 

activists in Cambodia decided 

that they will not accept the wage 

gap left behind by the pandemic. 

During the lockdown, factories 

were legally required to pay only 

40% of workers’ wages, while the 

government promised to add 

another 20%, leaving workers 

with only 60% of their wages, 

and often less because 

government payments did not 

come through. 

In June the government announced that also bi-annual seniority 

indemnity payments would be postponed by a year, while many 

workers, after months of partial wages, were counting on this money.


Cambodian unions and labour rights groups have calculated that 

workers are owed 76 USD per month for the period of reduced wages. 

They are calling upon brands sourcing from Cambodia, as well as the 

government, to ensure that: workers receive their due bonuses with no 

delay, the wage gap is covered, and all laid-off workers are paid full 

severance. 

International solidarity 

for their campaign to 

hold brands responsible 

for the livelihood of 

workers in their supply 

chain is very much 

needed. 

Their campaign for higher wages had led to a meagre monthly 2 USD 

increase on the current wage of 190 USD.


H&M, Primark and Nike all source from factories in Cambodia 

33 factories 

22 factories 

12 factories 

Cambodian minimum wage 2020: 190 USD per month

covid-19's effects strike 

everywhere 

Brands and retailers’ responses to the pandemic has affected workers 

around the world: in the supply chains of H&M, Primark, and Nike 

across Asia, but just as much in other supply chains and on other 

continents, such as Africa, Europe, and the Americas. 

morocco 

In Morocco, in the supply chain of Inditex – owner of Zara, 

Bershka, Stradivarius, Pull & Bear – workers were receiving 

wages with delay for several months and were beginning to 

endure other violations of their rights when they stopped 

receiving any wages at all and their factory closed entirely. 

The group of workers from the Société Le Grand Maghreb 

Industrie factory were left without a job or due compensation 

overnight.

covid-19 strikes everywhere 

romania 

In Romania, many workers 

employed at the Tanex factory, 

which supplies a number of major 

international brands, received only 

half their wages for March and 

April [165USD], although they 

worked full time for the Tanex 

factory. The one woman who dared 

to speak out publicly about this 

injustice, Angelica, was harassed 

and fired. 

As a result of organizing by the workers, engagement with the 

brands, and ultimately the brands’ pressure on Tanex management, 

most of the workers have now received their back pay. Angelica 

and three other workers who left the factory continue to fight for 

the money they are owed by factory management.


Aida, 20 years old, worked for a 

factory that produces clothing 

for The Children's Place. Her 

wages had been cut from 26 USD 

to 10 USD a month since March. 

She said her employers had told 

workers the company might go 

bankrupt because of the volume 

of lost orders after The Children's 

Place cancelled orders. 

ethiopia 

“I am afraid I am going to lose my job because of the crisis and get 

expelled from my house when I can’t afford to pay my rent. ... The 

days I skip meals has become more frequent … I used to eat 

vegetables but now I usually consume only cornflour meals.” 

Image: Garment workers in Ethiopia before the pandemic. Shutterstock/Pinar Alver


ethiopia 

Tamru, 22 years old, who works 

at the same The Children's Place 

supplier used to make 27 USD a 

month, working nine hours a day, 

six days a week. Since orders 

were cut, the company stopped 

supplying buses to transport 

workers to the factories, and his 

wages have been cut in half. 

Via The Guardian 

“I can’t eat whenever I 

want to eat,” he said. “I 

sometimes skip dinner. I 

walk from home to work 

every day because the 

factory has stopped 

providing transport 

service and I can’t afford 

to pay for a bus. My work 

is so exhausting, I never 

sit, and the pay is very 

small to cover my 

expenses.”


A factory in Yangon, Myanmar 

where 439 women and 61 men 

made jackets and trousers for 

Mango, Zara, Kiabi, New Locker 

and Bestseller suddenly closed in 

March, after the owner had fled 

the country. It was on monthly 

pay day, so the entire workforce 

was left without their wages or 

compensation for the loss of 

their jobs. The owner blamed the 

bankruptcy on the the 

repercussions of the COVID-19 

outbreak, which made it 

impossible to obtain raw 

materials from China. 

myanmar 

The workers are entitled to 

300 million Kyat (almost 

200.000 EUR) and organised 

a protest at the Yangon 

District Office to demand the 

auction of assets and 

payment of their due wages, 

severance, and social 

security payments. The 

brands must ensure that the 

workers receive their legally 

due wages and benefits 

(incl. February wages, 

severance and notice pay).

thank you for reading 

Ask brands around the world and especially H&M, 

Nike, and Primark: Do you #PayYourWorkers? 

Visit our COVID-19 live blog for all the latest news 

If you would like to take action or donate to the 

emergency fund, visit our COVID-19 campaign page 

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