Zara, Mango, Next in row over unpaid wages as Turkey factory shuts down

By

Barbara Santamaria

Published
Sep 26, 2017

Zara, Next and Mango have been criticised for refusing to pay factory workers three month’s wages following the closure of a factory complex in Istanbul.

140 workers at the Bravo Tekstil factory worked without salaries for three months last year after the factory closed down, and are asking their clients, Zara, Next and Mango, to pay their back wages and severance.

“We demand what is rightfully ours. We only demand the compensation for our labour. Nothing else, nothing more,” said Yeliz Kutluer, a former Bravo Tekstil factory worker.

75% of the factory’s overall production was for Inditex’ Zara, but the brand has refused to take responsibility for the unpaid workers. Next and Mango have also refused to pay the total amount asked by the group, according to a press release.

“Brands are principal employers. They have proven time and again that they control every aspect of their orders to their suppliers. Therefore, it is clear that it is in their power to make sure that all workers who produce their apparel receive their monthly wages and are working in safe conditions, and morally they must do so,” says Bego Demir of Clean Clothes Campaign Turkey.

With help of Clean Clothes Campaign Turkey, the workers have launched an online petition asking consumers to support their claim, which has been backed by a court ruling in Turkey