“I Came Here with So Many Dreams”: Labor Rights Abuses & the Need for Change in Mauritius’ Apparel Factories
Summary
Date Reported: 19 Dec 2023
Location: Mauritius
Companies
Aquarelle Clothing - Employer , Foschini - Buyer , PVH (Phillips-Van Heusen) - Buyer , Rodd & Gunn - BuyerAffected
Total individuals affected: Number unknown
Migrant & immigrant workers: ( Number unknown - Bangladesh , Clothing & textile , Gender not reported )Issues
Recruitment FeesResponse
Response sought: Yes, by Transparentem
External link to response: (Find out more)
Action taken: The suppliers provided policies in response to Transparentem's request to comment on the investigation's findings. All four denied workers had paid any recruitment fees. Management at DDI, Firemount and R.EA.L disputed most of the findings, excepting som on living and working conditions. PVH, Barbour and Second Clothing had committed to pay funds to repay migrant workers for recruitment fees and related costs at R.E.A.L; the Guardian calculated this at £400k total.
Source type: NGO
Summary
Date Reported: 19 Dec 2023
Location: Mauritius
Companies
Firemount - Employer , Rodd & Gunn - Buyer , Boardriders - Buyer , Boden - Buyer , Foschini - Buyer , WE Fashion - Buyer , Kontoor Brands - Buyer , John Lewis (part of John Lewis Partnership) - BuyerAffected
Total individuals affected: Number unknown
Migrant & immigrant workers: ( Number unknown - Bangladesh , Manufacturing: General , Gender not reported )Issues
Right to Food , Recruitment Fees , Precarious/Unsuitable Living Conditions , Reasonable Working Hours & Leisure Time , Access to Non-Judicial Remedy , Intimidation , Personal Health , Access to Non-Judicial Remedy , Freedom of Expression , Occupational Health & Safety , Heat exposureResponse
Response sought: Yes, by Transparentem
External link to response: (Find out more)
Action taken: The suppliers provided policies in response to Transparentem's request to comment on the investigation's findings. All four denied workers had paid any recruitment fees. Management at DDI, Firemount and R.EA.L disputed most of the findings, excepting som on living and working conditions. PVH, Barbour and Second Clothing had committed to pay funds to repay migrant workers for recruitment fees and related costs at R.E.A.L; the Guardian calculated this at £400k total.
Source type: NGO
Summary
Date Reported: 19 Dec 2023
Location: Mauritius
Companies
J. Barbour and Sons Ltd. - Buyer , PVH (Phillips-Van Heusen) , Giorgio Armani - Buyer , REAL Garments - Employer , Diesel , Foxcroft - Buyer , Rodd & Gunn , PVH (Phillips-Van Heusen) - BuyerAffected
Total individuals affected: Number unknown
Migrant & immigrant workers: ( Number unknown - Bangladesh , Manufacturing: General , Men )Issues
Recruitment Fees , Work & Conditions , Intimidation , Access to Non-Judicial Remedy , Freedom of Expression , Poverty WagesResponse
Response sought: Yes, by Transparentem
External link to response: (Find out more)
Action taken: The suppliers provided policies in response to Transparentem's request to comment on the investigation's findings. All four denied workers had paid any recruitment fees. Management at DDI, Firemount and R.EA.L disputed most of the findings, excepting som on living and working conditions. PVH, Barbour and Second Clothing had committed to pay funds to repay migrant workers for recruitment fees and related costs at R.E.A.L; the Guardian calculated this at £400k total.
Source type: NGO
Summary
Date Reported: 19 Dec 2023
Location: Mauritius
Companies
G-Star Raw - Buyer , ASOS - Buyer , Kontoor Brands - Buyer , DDI - Employer , Centric Brands - Buyer , Diesel - Buyer , Foschini - Buyer , Giorgio Armani - Buyer , Western Glove Works - BuyerAffected
Total individuals affected: Number unknown
Migrant & immigrant workers: ( Number unknown - Bangladesh , Manufacturing: General , Men )Issues
Recruitment Fees , Intimidation , Access to Non-Judicial Remedy , Access to Information , Right to Food , Occupational Health & Safety , Heat exposure , Restricted access to medicines , Freedom of Expression , Mental Health , Restricted mobility , Freedom of AssociationResponse
Response sought: Yes, by Transparentem
External link to response: (Find out more)
Action taken: The suppliers provided policies in response to Transparentem's request to comment on the investigation's findings. All four denied workers had paid any recruitment fees. Management at DDI, Firemount and R.EA.L disputed most of the findings, excepting som on living and working conditions. PVH, Barbour and Second Clothing had committed to pay funds to repay migrant workers for recruitment fees and related costs at R.E.A.L; the Guardian calculated this at £400k total.
Source type: NGO
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Workers [in Mauritius] told of feeling disillusionment and despair when, after paying exploitative recruitment fees they arrived in Mauritius to find that their wages were far less than their agents had told them. They described living and working conditions that no worker should endure, such as overcrowded dorms and insect infestations. Syed* (a pseudonym), a migrant worker at Firemount, reported going hungry and becoming physically weak due to the quality of food, saying, “The food is so bad, I would never have come. I would rather starve in Bangladesh.”
Some workers also reported facing intimidation and threats of punishment for speaking about their experiences—including the threat of deportation.
Transparentem’s investigation, completed in 2023, and company responses to its findings bring three stark realities to light (complete findings are in the full report):
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