Garment workers and their struggle with getting their compensation on time, lawfully and above the minimum wages seem to see some favourable amendments in a few Asian provinces ever since the round of petitions and treaties has been signed by several organisations, activists and institutions of NGOs. Earning a living wage is recognised as a human right but most garment workers end up receiving just a quarter of a living wage. A recent summary of the clean clothes campaign declares that “1.5 million workers in Turkey make garments for many global fashion brands including Adidas, Banana Republic, Benetton, Boohoo, C&A, Esprit, Gap, G-star, Hugo Boss, H&M, Inditex- Zara, Levi’s, Marks and Spencer, Next, Nike, Puma, Primark, Urban Outfitters and VF. The top five export destinations for clothing made in Turkey are Germany, Spain, the UK, Netherlands and France. Despite the big name brands these workers produce for, new research shows that garment workers earn poverty pay which leaves them struggling to survive, highlighting the inadequacy of the legal minimum wage”.
Brands in unethical production practices
