Pakistani workers making clothes for UK’s leading fashion brand are underpaid: Report

One of Britain’s largest fashion brands Boohoo was selling clothes made by Pakistani factory workers who earned as little as 29 pence (PKR 63) an hour.

The revelations were made by UK media outlet The Guardian, the report revealed that workers at two factories in Faisalabad, Pakistan’s textile hub claimed they were paid Rs10,000 a month, which is below the legal monthly minimum wage for unskilled labor of Rs17,500, while making clothes to be sold by Boohoo.

“I know we are exploited and paid less than the legal minimum, but we can’t do anything … if I leave the job another person will be ready to replace me,” said one of the worker interviewed by the media outlet. Meanwhile, the factories have denied any wrongdoing and said workers were paid in accordance with laws.

Boohoo has suspended a supplier, JD Fashion Ltd, and a factory, AH Fashion, from its supply chain while it investigated the claims, reported Guardian.

Whereas, another factory, Madina Gloves, denied workers’ claims that it had recently been making clothes for Boohoo. Whereas, AH Fashion, acknowledged it had fulfilled an order for the brand back in October.

Boohoo said it “will not tolerate any instance of mistreatment or underpayment of garment workers”. The company said that it was unaware of its clothes being made at Madina Gloves, and that AH Fashion was not on its approved supplier list for JD for an order delivered to the UK on 11 December.