Dear Paul Marchant CEO,
Primark has told the world about a wage fund that was set up to support workers in its supply chain. However there has been a lack of transparency as to how the fund was calculated and what mechanisms were put in place to ensure that the fund reached workers. Furthermore, we still do not know whether the fund has reached all workers in Primark's supply chain, or if their wages have been paid in full.
I am calling on Primark to make sure that your workers are paid throughout the pandemic, and to publish the following wage assurance commitment on your website:
"Primark hereby publicly assures that all apparel, textile, and footwear workers in our supply chain, who were paid to produce or handle goods at the onset of the COVID-19 crisis, regardless of employment status, will be paid their legally mandated or regular wages and benefits, whichever is higher. This includes wage arrears (back pay) and, where applicable, negotiated severance pay.
We will contribute funds of a sufficient amount to ensure that, when combined with other support provided to workers by employers, local governments, and international institutions, workers have income, equal or greater than, the amount they received prior to the crisis. In doing so, we provide immediate much-needed relief for workers, and we act upon our responsibility to prevent and mitigate adverse human rights impacts in our supply chains, and to provide for or cooperate in the remediation of harm.
Going forward, we will support stronger social protections for workers by committing to paying a price premium on future orders into a guarantee fund reserved for severance and outstanding wages in cases where employers in our supply chain have gone insolvent, or otherwise have terminated workers, through signing an enforceable agreement with garment worker unions, in line with ILO Recommendation 202, Convention 95 and Convention 76. "
If you truly believe that Primark's wage fund has been implemented successfully there should be no hesitation to guarantee that all workers in your supply chains will be paid throughout the pandemic and beyond.
Do let me know what you plan to do.
Yours truly,
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