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Article

2 Feb 2012

Author:
Sarah Butler, Guardian

Cambodian workers hold 'people's tribunal' to look at factory conditions

Workers in Cambodia will hold a "people's tribunal" next week to investigate pay and conditions at factories working for fashion brands including H&M and Gap. An international panel of judges will hear evidence from workers, factories and multinational brands including Puma and Adidas. H&M said it would not attend but would supply information about how it was addressing wages at its suppliers' factories in the country…In August, nearly 300 workers passed out in one week at a Cambodian factory supplying H&M…A report commissioned by H&M blamed the faintings on mass hysteria caused by work-related and personal stress. About 100 workers fainted at the Huey Chen factory, which supplies Puma, in April last year and another 49 passed out at the same factory in July. Puma said it had implemented an improvement plan at the factory…Jeroen Merk, of the workers' rights pressure group Clean Clothes Campaign, said it was "disappointing" that H&M and Gap had chosen not to attend the tribunal. A spokeswoman for H&M said: "Workers should earn a fair wage and we strive for decent supply chain working conditions. To tackle this challenge we last year joined the Fair Wage Network to find out more about how we can contribute to more fair wages." [also refers to M&V Intl., Huey Chen]