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Please see below the steps that we have taken and continue to develop further:

What are you doing to address the labour rights abuses reported at factories in earthquake-affected regions and the financial hardships facing workers in the aftermath of the earthquake? 

• We are actively engaging with our affected supplier in the region to address labour rights abuses, such as described in the allegations, and also other challenges, which arise in the aftermath of the earthquake.
• Directly after the earthquake, we provided financial and humanitarian aid to our affected supplier (see the questionnaire, which we answered in July 2023) and since then, we have checked the situation with our supplier on a regular base. With the support from Tchibo, our supplier started a container city within the factory yard to house up to 50 families (roughly 150 people). Today, only 20-30 people actively live in this container city. Most other workers found new housing or prefer living with their relatives in their town or village.
• Through our dialogue-based human rights Program called “WE”, our WE facilitator is visiting the affected region twice a month and provides workers with psychosocial support sessions to address the wellbeing of the workers and also to know about violations of worker´s rights.
• This way, issues around workers’ rights are discussed and handled directly with those affected. So far, we have not been contacted about any ongoing labour rights abuses.

Have you tracked instances of workers having severance pay denied in the aftermath of the earthquake?  

• No instances are known to us. We are closely monitoring the situation and working with our supplier on the ground to mitigate the risks of labour rights abuses. We are committed to ensuring that workers receive the compensation they are entitled to and also clearly state that in our Supplier Code of Conduct.

In response to our survey in June 2023, you stated that you had taken steps to ensure vulnerable workers, like refugees weren’t facing discrimination in terms of wage reduction or layoffs. What additional steps do you intend to take to ensure vulnerable workers like refugees aren’t facing these kinds of abuses?  

• We recognize the vulnerability of refugees or migrant workers and are committed to preventing discrimination and abuses against them. These topics are also continuously addressed and worked with at factory level as part of our WE Program.
• Regarding the vulnerable situation of Syrian Refugees in the Turkish Garment Sector, we have developed a policy regarding the employment of Syrian refugees in 2021, which has been communicated to all suppliers with active factories in Turkey. This policy is still in place.
• In addition, we recently had a personal meeting with our affected supplier, where we not only inquired about the labour rights situation in the aftermath of the earthquake, but also addressed the fragile situation of refugees in the Turkish garment sector. During the last year, no migrants or refugees worked in the affected production site.