Home > Spain > Zara Parent Company Accused of Exploiting Moroccan Garment Workers
Zara Parent Company Accused of Exploiting Moroccan Garment Workers
Tuesday 11 June 2019, by
Amancio Ortega, founder of "Zara" and incidentally a multi-billionaire, is accused of exploiting Moroccan labor. His seamstresses are paid less than $178 per month, for 65 hours of work per week.
A Spanish organization, the New Clothes Campaign, has conducted a study on the working conditions and wages of textile workers at Ortega’s, the owner of the Inditex company, which markets among other brands Massimo Duti, Stradivarius, Pull & Bear and Zara. 10% of Inditex’s clothing is manufactured in Morocco.
The author of the study initiated by the organization, Albert Sale, argues that Inditex "operates in the Moroccan market, taking advantage of the low cost of production compared to the European Union and its geographical proximity". The study revealed the difficult working conditions of Moroccan workers, who work long hours for meager incomes. Without a contract, young workers receive 0.36 cents per hour.
"In case of an audit, the supervisors hide the underage workers on the roof or in empty clothing boxes," confides a worker to the organization, which estimates that "these companies nevertheless have the possibility to avoid the exploitative conditions of the workforce".
In view of the abuses reported by the organization, Ortega’s statements seem contradictory. He announces that "the success of our great development and the success of our business depend to a large extent on the immense efforts made by all our teams".