Today, 1 July, marks the opening of the court case brought by Z Production workers against Pelletteria Richemont Firenze, the Scandicci (FI)-based company responsible for outsourcing the production of Montblanc handbags…

The claim, filed with the labour section of the Florence Tribunal, seeks to establish that the relationship between Z Production and Pelletteria Richemont did not constitute a genuine subcontract, and calls for the workers to be recognised as direct employees of Pelletteria Richemont Firenze. The suit also demands the annulment of their dismissal…

Should the six Pakistani workers leading the case succeed, the ruling could represent a turning point for thousands of exploited workers across the Made in Italy supply chains. It would be the first time a fashion brand is held directly responsible for working conditions within its supply chain…

…Investigations by the Milan Prosecutor’s Office have confirmed their accounts, placing companies such as Alviero Martini, Giorgio Armani, Dior, and Valentino under court-appointed administration…

In response, Richemont rejected requests for dialogue from the workers and filed a defamation complaint against the SUDD Cobas union… the company has adopted the scarcely credible defence of claiming ignorance of the conditions along its supply chain, as a form of legal protection…