OVS SpA's response to allegations of abuses in Myanmar garment factories - October 2024 Update
Myanmar Bestex Garment
- In January 2024, it was reported that workers at Myanmar Bestex Garment are facing a series of violations, including excessive production targets, workers denied overtime pay if they don't meet targets, child labour and verbal abuse.
As we announced, after the production of the fall-winter 2023 collection, we interrupted the collaboration.
E&P Fashion
- In January 2024, it was reported that workers at E&P Fashion are facing a series of violations, including excessive production targets, harassment if they do not meet their targets, denial of leave if workers are ill or have urgent family matters, workers receiving their pay late, resulting in risks returning home at night, and the Workplace Coordination Committee being selected by the factory.
- In February 2024, it was reported that workers at E&P Fashion are facing a series of violations, including day labourers denied employment despite working beyond the probation period, day labourers being fired if they cannot work shifts they were not notified of previously, wage deductions if workers they take leave, and denial of seniority benefits.
This facility is not our supplier.
WHM Myanmar
- In March 2024, it was reported that workers at WHM Myanmar factory are facing a series of violations, including mandatory overtime at night despite workers fears about leaving the factory due to the political situation, health issues due to workers working all night, unclean toilets and limited dining facilities.
- In May 2024, it was reported that workers at WHM Myanmar are facing a series of violations, including workers forced to work in roles they have no experience in causing them stress, wage cuts for those who don't work overtime, workers vomiting due to unclean drinking water and limited hygiene products supplied such as soap.
It is an unauthorized subcontractor. We discovered that this factory produced an OVS style in November 2023, but we immediately relocated production to authorized suppliers.
GTIG Eastar
- In March 2024, it was reported that workers at GTIG Eastar face a series of violations, including mandatory overtime including on weekends without a rest period, limited breaks and no food provisions for overnight workers, excessive production targets and unclean restrooms.
Source: https://www.myanmarlabournews.com/posts/ပိတ်ရက်မရဘဲ-အချိန်ပိုလုပ်ကိုင်နေရ
- In April 2024, it was reported that workers at GTIG Eastar had not yet received the compensation owed to them three years ago, after a fire caused the factory to close.
Source: https://www.myanmarlabournews.com/posts/gtig-eastar-ရုံ-3-အလုပ်သမား-ထောင်နှင့်ချီ-နစ်နာ
We understand OVS has previously told us it does not source from GTIG Eastar, however as OVS SpA has been mentioned, as per our policy, we must seek a response.
We have recently resumed the collaboration with this supplier, but at the same time we have conducted a series of investigations and we have detected some points of attention. Thus we are considering phasing out from this supplier.