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This report isn't an 'ethical shopping guide'. The way to help workers is not to boycott one company in favour of another, it's to shift from being a passive consumer to an active one. Each time you buy clothes, get in touch with the company you bought them from, ask them what they are doing about the recommendations in this report. Together, we can - and we will - clean up fashion. |
| French Connection | | Print | |
Page 2 of 3 Detail on Workers RightsWagesFrench Connection told us only that its, policies include that our suppliers should pay their employees a fair wage and we recognise that local statutory minimum wages do not necessarily represent a living wage while also recognising that assessment of a “living wage” presents significant issues. It didn’t set out any detail on what standards it implements in practice. Freedom of AssociationAlthough it said that, “[w]e consider that freedom of association and freedom from discrimination are basic rights which should be allowed for all workers,” French Connection didn’t set out what it does about this in practice. Monitoring and verificationSimilarly to last year, French Connection told us that,We monitor compliance through regular visits to the factories from our staff based in local offices around the world. These policies and requirements are included in our supplier handbook which is issued to all suppliers and to which they are required to confirm their compliance in writing.Also as last year, it said it was planning to, “develop our monitoring policies and processes.” Our conclusionThis response was essentially the same as last year’s disappointing one. There seems to have been no progress, and indeed everything seems to be under review exactly as last year. French Connection did tell us that, “[t]he work on the update has been delayed due to staff changes but work is continuing.” This doesn’t sound like commitment to ethical trading: it is tempting to conclude French Connection’s response is clutching at straws. |
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| Last Updated ( Thursday, 13 September 2007 ) | |||||
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