Footwear retailers Clarks and Skechers have been asked to address labour rights violations at a Taiwanese-owned footwear supplier in Guangdong in China.

The Brussels-based International Textile, Garment and Leather Workers’ Federation (ITGWLF) has asked the retailers how they plan to address these issues, in light of allegations that the company coaches workers on how to speak to compliance teams or monitoring staff who visit the facility, and threatens to fire workers who speak out.
ITGLWF General Secretary Neil Kearney commented, A recent China Labour Watch investigation revealed appalling conditions at the Kingmaker Zhuhai factory.

Violations at the plant include excessive hours of work, abuses of laws on overtime pay, harassment and intimidation, intrusive body searches, lack of maternity protection, the failure to grant leave and holidays, and appalling health and safety conditions.
Workers are sometimes required to work up to 18 hours a day, but overtime is paid at regular rates. Workers are not allowed to punch their time card when working on a Saturday.
Monetary fines are imposed for a variety of ‘offences’. For instance, being absent for a single day results in the loss of three days’ wages. Workers wanting to quit the job must give the factory 15 days’ notice and are not allowed to quit without the permission of management. Permission is often denied, leaving workers no choice but to lose one month’s pay when they want to move on.”