‘I’m suing Tesco after working 99-hour weeks – I can’t afford to feed my child’
Summary
Date Reported: 31 Dec 2023
Location: Thailand
Companies
VK garment factory (VKG) - Employer , Ek Chai Distribution (part of Charoen Pokphand Group) - Client , Intertek - Other Value Chain Entity , Tesco - ClientAffected
Total individuals affected: Number unknown
Migrant & immigrant workers: ( Number unknown - Myanmar , Clothing & textile , Women , Unknown migration status )Issues
Access to Justice & Legal ProtectionResponse
Response sought: Yes, by Resource Centre & Journalists
External link to response: (Find out more)
Action taken: Tesco denies the accusations and has previously said the allegations against its supplier were “incredibly serious”. Tesco did not respond to the Resource Centre's request for comment. Tesco, Ek Chai, and Intertek have denied all the allegations, and the case is still ongoing. Tesco did not reply to a request for comment, but it has previously called the allegations “incredibly serious”, adding that “had we identified issues like this at the time they took place, we would have ended our relationship with this supplier immediately”.
Source type: News outlet
A group of migrants from Myanmar who say they worked 99-hour weeks making jeans for Tesco in Thailand claim their lawsuit against the retailer has left them struggling to feed their families.
The 130 migrants worked at the VK Garments factory …
They sued Tesco in the English High Court for alleged negligence in 2022.
Tesco denies the accusations and has previously said the allegations against its supplier were “incredibly serious”…
However they say it is not enough, and that they are yet to receive any compensation…
One former worker, Thi Thi Aye said she had been forced to borrow money to take care of her two-year-old son after she was dismissed from the factory….
Also facing legal action as part of the UK case is Ek Chai, previously the Thai branch of Tesco’s business, and Intertek, the auditors…
Workers are hoping for compensation from Tesco, Ek Chai, and Intertek for wrongdoing because “they didn’t act reasonably in preventing the harms to workers”, according to Ms Dudhia.
Tesco, Ek Chai, and Intertek have denied all the allegations, and the case is still ongoing.
Tesco did not reply to a request for comment, but it has previously called the allegations “incredibly serious”…