Global clothing brands must take responsibility for the millions of workers in Asia who are poorly paid by suppliers and ignored by governments, said a campaigner for higher wages in the region, ahead of an International Labour Organization (ILO) conference.
Asia accounts for more than 60 per cent of the world’s garment production, with the industry employing more than 15 million people directly, most of them women.
Workers deserve a living wage because the minimum wage set by most Asian countries is inadequate to keep them out of poverty, said Ms Anannya Bhattacharjee, a coordinator with the Asia Floor Wage Alliance (AFWA), a supply chain lobby group.