Fast fashion e-tailer Shein has responded to watchdog Public Eye’s report on ongoing alleged abuses of working conditions with a 30-paragraph statement on its website.
The Switzerland-based organisation shared its findings after a survey and interviews with factory workers from Guangzhou, China, where concern surrounding poor working conditions had already been highlighted as far back as 2021.
While Shein had previously responded to past reports linked to these issues with promises of improving its operations, Public Eye’s latest research shows little change.
According to the report, factory workers interviewed indicated that they work from eight in the morning to 10.30 at night every day of the month. One employee said he had only one day off in the month, as he couldn’t afford more.
This does not fit with the ‘code of conduct’ Shein has drawn up, where it is stated that there would be a maximum of 60 hours per week and employees must have at least one day off per week. Public Eye’s research also shows that if an employee makes a mistake, it has to be rectified in their own unpaid time.
In its statement responding to the report, Shein said: “While we do not recognise many of the allegations in this report, the discussion on working hours and wages raised by Public Eye is important to us and we have made significant progress in improving conditions across our ecosystem.”
Watchdog reveals continued allegations of workers’ rights abuses
The group also stressed that the survey conducted by Public Eye is a sample and that 13 people were interviewed. According to Shein, the study is therefore not representative of the company’s entire production chain.
Public Eye, meanwhile, stated on its own website that conducting interviews with factory employees at many of the production sites was too dangerous. Public Eye visited six of Shein’s production sites.
Shein added in the statement that it is spending millions of dollars to strengthen governance and compliance in the supply chain. Suppliers must also sign a supplier code of conduct, which covers rules on forced labour, child labour, wages and working hours, discrimination and harassment.
As part of the code of conduct, suppliers are to promise not to withhold wages as part of punitive methods if an employee makes a mistake. Shein also stated in the statement that it regularly conducts unannounced audits of suppliers. If the rules are broken, the business relationship is immediately terminated.
Read Shein’s full statement here.