"Thai Lingerie Workers Still Fighting for $7 Million in Wages", 27 January 2022

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The 1,388 employees of Brilliant Thai Alliance, which made intimate apparel for Ann Taylor owner Ascena Group, Lane Bryant, Torrid and Victoria’s Secret, were dismissed last March without their wages, bonuses or severance.

Though the labor protection and welfare office of Samut Prakan ruled that the factory had violated Thai labor law, ordering Brilliant Thai Alliance to pay 242 million baht ($7.3 million), Clover Group International, its Hong Kong-based parent, offered to settle the debt in installment payments over 10 years. After the proposal was rejected, Clover Group moved to liquidate the facility, which it told Sourcing Journal in July that it was initiating “in full compliance with the laws of the Kingdom of Thailand.”

But workers are unable to wait for the completion of the lengthy process, said IndustriALL Global Union. In a letter to Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha and Labour Minister Suchart Chomklin...the worker-rights group called on the government to dip into the country’s employment welfare fund to front the sum, plus an annual interest of 15 percent...

The letter arrived after six former Brilliant Thai Alliance employees were arrested in November for holding a so-called “illegal” protest outside the Government House in Dusit district after repeated pleas to the government for assistance went unanswered. The Textile Industrial Labour Union said the police charges violated the demonstrators’ rights, especially since they were suffering from the income loss and had no safety net to fall back on.

A spokesperson for Clover Group told Sourcing Journal that the company is “extremely thankful for all assistance towards the employees and respect all decisions of the Thai government.” Both Clover Group and Victoria’s Secret said that the lingerie giant did not place any orders with Brilliant Alliance Thai in 2021 and in previous years had represented only a fraction of its production. Ascena, Lane Bryant and Torrid did not respond to requests for comment.

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