Pakistan demands joint employer liability in fashion supply chains

On October 18, 4:00 PM PKT / 1:00 PM CET / 7:00 AM EST, trade unions and labour organisations in Pakistan are organizing a press conference at Karachi Press Club, after filing a Public Interest Ligitation (PIL) with the High Court of Sindh, demanding that global fashion brands be held legally liable as joint employers for the massive wage theft that Pakistani garment workers suffered during the Covid-19 pandemic. The press conference will be live broadcasted on this Facebook page.

As per the report of Asia Floor Wage Alliance, titled 'Money Heist: Covid-19 Wage Theft in Global Garment Supply Chains', 605 workers across 50 garment export factories, suffered wage theft of 85 million USD in 2020, after fashion brands demanded retroactive price reductions or cancelled orders from Pakistani suppliers. While majority of these global brands, were able to remain profitable in 2020, workers suffered massive employment loss and wage theft, increasing poverty and hunger in Pakistan.

Trade unions and labour organisations filing this PIL, are demanding that global fashion brands be held legally liable as "joint employers" for widespread labour and human rights violations in their supply chains, which have long lasting impacts on the lives and livelihoods of Pakistani workers and their households.

Efforts are ongoing across multiple Asian countries to hold global fashion brands liable for wage theft during the pandemic. Click here to read more.