Opinion article: #PayUpUniqlo

A few days ago, I saw a picture on my social media platform of a middle-aged woman holding a sign that says, ‘I made UNIQLO clothes and I wasn’t paid’. I personally have never bought or worn anything from UNIQLO since the clothes are not my cup of tea. Thus, I may not know much about the brand except for the hype it had garnered the last few years among fashion conscious people.

The sign also did not surprise me. I have seen and read many articles and reports regarding the mistreatment of garment workers, especially those in South East Asia, and more specifically, women, since they made up almost 80% of the labour.

What intrigued me was the fact that UNIQLO was embroiled in labour issue. As far as I know, UNIQLO markets itself to be minimalist and sustainable with affordable price. It’s the kind of clothes never go out of trend, unlike typical fast fashion clothes.

The woman holding the sign in the picture is Warni, former garment worker at PT Jaba Garmindo, garment factory that produced UNIQLO clothes. Funded by @cleanclothescampaign, the 46-year-old accompanied by her fellow garment worker, Yayat, flew to Copenhagen, Denmark to protest against UNIQLO and demand the company to pay their wages during the brand’s Copenhagen flagship store opening. UNIQLO CEO Tadashi Yanai is said to be attending the event.

In 2014, UNIQLO along with other big companies cut off their partnership with PT Jaba Garmindo without further notice. The factory went bankrupt several months later. This left Warni, Yayat and 2,000 workers unemployed. The remaining salary and severance package worth up to Rp87 billion have not been paid to the workers until today.

Supported by global coalitions of labour unions, PT Jaba Garmindo former workers have been campaigning since the closure of the factory. The campaign, which has spread worldwide, calls out not only UNIQLO, but to other big brand names also, demanding them to obey the UN Guiding Principles and Human Rights - a company is responsible for the worker’s livelihood.

Another online campaign, #PayUpUniqlo, has been circulating for a while, calling customers to support the workers and boycott the brand until the workers are fairly compensated. You can also support the cause by donating your fast fashion clothes to HakAsasi.id office and joining their garage sale on Friday, 12 April at Tebet, East Jakarta. The sales will be donated to PT Jaba Garmindo former workers.

The view expressed on opinion article doesn’t necessarily reflect the opinion of The Finery Report. The opinion belongs to the author of the article.