In June 2020, 3,000 garment workers were reportedly dismissed as part of a union busting exercise amid COVID-19 from Saybolt, Tanaz Fashion and Windy Wet & Dry Process factories in Gazipur, Bangladesh, which belong to the Windy Group. Windy Group owns eight factories in total and, according to media reports and workers, supplies to H&M and Zara (Inditex). 

The unions for the Windy Group workers claim that each time workers from the three factories have attempted to form unions, they have been dismissed. Amirul Haque Amin, President of the National Garment Workers Federation (NGWF) in Bangladesh, said: “Targeting three factories out of eight of Windy Group and retrenching 3000 workers of these three factories is purposeful and similar to destruction of union."

The dismissed workers have been staging hunger strikes and other protests at Windy Group factory premises to call for reinstatement. 

Business & Human Rights Resource Centre invited H&M and Inditex to respond to allegations of union busting at Windy Group involving the dismissal of 3,000 garment workers from Windy Group factories. The responses are included below.