Tesco's Response to allegations of abuses in Myanmar garment factories
As you have shared, Tesco have exited our small number of suppliers in Myanmar.
Through regular engagement with a range of stakeholders including IndustriALL, ACT brands and Industrial Workers’ Federation of Myanmar (IWFM), initially we sought to maintain supply from Myanmar (in line with early recommendations from these stakeholders at the time). You can read more about the joint statement we published with Trade Unions here.
Tesco colleagues engaged in regular dialogue with suppliers, we did not cancel any orders and we monitored worker wages to ensure fair pay was upheld. We also did not apply any penalties for late orders and emphasised the importance of worker welfare and health and safety as the priority.
However, as the political situation in Myanmar continued to deteriorate, during which time the views of a range stakeholders including Global Unions also changed, we took the decision to follow our responsible exit process which concluded in Spring 2022.
We challenged GTIG on missed wages following engagement with Unions. GTIG shared copies of documentation with Tesco to demonstrate wages were paid in accordance with Local Government requirements.