35 million garment workers who sew our clothes make some of the lowest wages in the world. 10% of the apparel workforce may have already been laid off since the start of the pandemic. Millions more are at risk of being fired and have not received their full wages for months. The vast majority of these workers are women, in jobs with no respect for their labour rights, leading to a massive imbalance of power in the industry. Many report skipping meals, borrowing money to buy food, and struggling to afford vegetables or meat for their families as the pandemic’s economic crisis rages on.

Clean Clothes Campaign launched its Pay Your Workers campaign in September 2020, which calls on brands and retailers to take responsibility for garment workers in their global supply chains. The campaign urges apparel brands and retailers to commit to a wage assurance: a public commitment to ensure the workers in their supply chains are paid what they are owed and to enter into negotiations to establish a fund that will make sure workers can no longer be left jobless without their legally owed severance.