Zara, Primark factory workers say they were fired for unionizing

The coronavirus pandemic forced fashion stores, as they do not fall under essential services, to shut down temporarily. This meant that brands defaulted on payments to the producers of their clothes, who are often based in developing countries like India, Bangladesh, Myanmar and so on. In turn, factory owners have laid off thousands of workers. In Myanmar, workers who manufactured clothing for Zara and Primark and have now been fired say that they were fired to stop unionizing efforts. The Guardian reports that days after registration for a union was filed, a factory laid off 100 workers, most of whom were members of the union. Workers say that they are forced to work for 10 hours a day six days a week for a meagre income of $3 per day.