"Next accused of anti-union activity in Sri Lanka", 10 September 2025

...Next has been accused of illegally halting salary payments to 16 workers who are contesting the company’s closure of its own production facility in Sri Lanka.

Next closed the Katunayake Manufacturing Plant, near Colombo, in May claiming it was not economically viable – campaigners say it was Next’s only directly owned factory with a recognised trade union.

The Free Trade Zones and General Services Employees Union (FTZ&GSEU) now claims Next has effectively sacked 16 workers – all union members – who are challenging the closure.

It claims the 1,416 workers at the Katunayake factory were misled by Next management into signing voluntary resignation letters in order to obtain compensation.

However, the 16 workers at the centre of the new allegations refused to resign and filed a complaint for unlawful termination of employment with the Sri Lanka Labour Commissioner.

FTZ & GSEU says that Next’s lawyers have now told a hearing that their wages had been stopped on 20th August – even though it is required to continue to pay their wages until the inquiry is over...

The campaigners say that Sri Lanka’s Commissioner of Labour had concluded there was a prima facie case of unlawful termination of employment for Next to answer...

Anton Marcus, joint secretary of the FTZ&GSEU union commented: “In the year they announced record-breaking profits of £1 billion, Next continued to show little regard for the workers who helped them achieve these remarkable results.

“Our members in the Katunayake site have lost their jobs and livelihoods, but they’ve also lost any trust in Next over their union busting tactics. For workers to be refused payment while their complaint is ongoing amounts to unlawful termination of employment.”

Ecotextile News has approached Next for comment.