优衣库承诺改善中国“血汗工厂”劳动环境

    日前，香港一家非营利组织批评称，快时尚零售商优衣库的两家中国工厂环境危险，且工时过长。作为回应，优衣库母公司承诺，将采取措施，改善两家工厂的劳动环境。

    该非营利组织名为“大学师生监察无良企业行动”，旨在维护工人权利。本月早些时候，该组织发布报告，批评优衣库有关针织面料和服装的两大中国供应商工作条件不佳。该组织指出了工厂存在的一系列问题：工人为了维持收入必须加班工作，而且加班工资有时会算错。报告中还提出：两家工厂车间温度过高，通风不良，空气中布满棉尘，地面污水横流等。

    在报告中，该组织提供了其调查结果的相关照片，并表示两间工厂的工人未能得到代表，因而缺乏有效的发声渠道。

    这家非营利组织在报告中写道：“我们对两家工厂的工人工作缺乏保障深感失望。我们相信，两家工厂和优衣库有足够的能力，为工人提供有尊严的工作环境。”

    优衣库母公司、总部位于日本的迅销集团迅速做出了两项回应。首先，迅销立即回复称公司致力于尊重人权、确保生产合作伙伴的员工获得合适的工作条件。

    几天后，在东京证券交易所和香港两地上市的迅销集团又增加了一份更详细的回应，称其独立调查发现了“超时工作等部分问题”。集团负责企业社会责任的高管新田幸弘表示：“迅销已强烈要求两家公司迅速采取改善措施，同时我们也将予以全力配合以确保问题得到改善。”新田幸弘承诺，迅销将在一个月内检视改善的进度。

    迅销要求其中一家工厂确保准确记录并报告所有劳动时间，并立即委托政府部门实施生产车间空气质量的测定和检查，并立即确保生产车间干净整洁。对于另一家工厂，迅销承诺增加工人假期，减少工时，并检查车间工作环境。

    对于两家工厂，迅销都希望监督工厂管理，调查并取消对雇员的任何罚款或处罚。在非营利组织的报告中，曾披露工人如果出现失误将面临处罚，据称此方法是为了控制和保持产品质量。

    拥有近3万名员工的迅销集团，成立于1963年，其首家优衣库店铺于1984年在日本开业。如今，迅销集团在日本服装市场占有约6％的市场份额，增长主要依赖全球扩张。公司旗下的优衣库连锁店销售相对廉价的服装。近10年来，迅销集团销售额年年增长，部分要归功于不断开设新店。（财富中文网）

    译者：Hunter

    审稿: 李翔

    The parent company of fast-fashion retailer Uniqlo has vowed to take steps to improve working conditions at two Chinese factories, responding to criticism levied by a Hong Kong-based nonprofit that alleged unsafe working conditions and excessive long hours.

    A nonprofit called Students and Scholars Against Corporate Misbehavior (SACOM), which lobbies for workers’ rights, issued a report earlier this month that lamented the working conditions at two key Chinese suppliers of Uniqlo knit fabrics and apparel. The group raised a number of issues: workers having to log overtime hours to make a decent living, and the issue that overtime wages were at times miscalculated. Other allegations in the report included high temperatures at both facilities, as well as poor ventilation, with high cotton dust levels in the air and dirty sewage flowing on the floor.

    SACOM, which provided photos of its findings in the factories in the report, said workers were also unrepresented and thus had no effective platform to voice their complaints.

    “We are disappointed about the findings as the well-being of workers cannot be fully guaranteed in both factories,” SACOM said in the report. “We believe that both the factories and Uniqlo have enough capacity to provide a decent working environment to their workers.”

    Japan-based Fast Retailing has issued two swift responses. First, the company issued an immediate response touting a commitment to respecting human rights and ensuring appropriate working conditions for employees of production partners.

    In a more detailed response several days later, Fast Retailing, which is listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange with a secondary listing in Hong Kong, said its own independent inspection revealed “several issues, including long working hours.”

    “Fast Retailing has urged swift action against the factories on the issues identified in the SACOM report, and we will cooperate fully with them to ensure that improvements are made,” said Yukihiro Nitta, the executive that leads corporate social responsibility for Fast Retailing. The executive promised Fast Retailing would check progress within a month.

    The company instructed one of the factories to ensure working hours were recorded and reported correctly, and also requested a government agency conduct a thorough check of air quality and immediately ensure that the production floor is clean. For the second location, Fast Retailing moved to increase holidays for workers and make other improvements in working hours, as well as review the working environment at that facility.

    In both cases, Fast Retailing wants to monitor the management of the facilities, investigating and moving to eliminate any fines or punishments that are levied on employees. SACOM had alleged workers faced penalties if mistakes were made, which it claims is a method used to control and maintain product quality.

    Fast Retailing, with about 30,000 employees, was established in 1963 though it opened its first Uniqlo store in Japan in 1984. The apparel maker, which accounts for about 6% of the Japanese apparel market today, now relies mostly on global expansion to boost growth. The company’s Uniqlo chain sells relatively low priced apparel and first entered the U.S. market with a focus on urban locations. Fast Retailing has reported consistent annual sales growth for a decade, bolstered in part by adding more stores.