June 9, 2020 / 4:46 PM / Updated 19 hours ago
Top brands probe 'union-busting' as virus spurs sackings at factories in Asia
Matt Blomberg, Nanchanok Wongsamuth
5 Min Read

PHNOM PENH/BANGKOK (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Major brands including carmaker BMW and fashion label Zara are investigating reports of mass sackings of union workers in their supply chains, amid fears from labour advocates that coronavirus has fuelled ‘union-busting’ at factories across Southeast Asia.

As the pandemic batters the global economy, numerous Western retailers have cancelled orders or demanded discounts from suppliers in countries such as Cambodia, Myanmar and Thailand, leading to many workers going without pay or being sacked.

Unions and activists in the region said factory bosses were targeting and firing union members while keeping on non-unionised workers, and feared that the outbreak could spur a rollback of rights on issues from decent pay to safe workplaces.

“Clearly some employers believe they can take advantage of the COVID-19 pandemic and economic slowdown to violate workers and their rights with impunity,” said Robert Pajkovski, Thailand program director at the Solidarity Centre, a U.S.-based charity.

Under rising pressure from campaigners and consumers alike to improve working conditions and tackle modern slavery, big-name brands have vowed in recent years to only do business with suppliers that allow workers to unionise and demand better pay.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-heal ... SKBN23G16Z