Prada and Mulberry dubbed see no evil, hear no evil twins of high fashion

High fashion brands Prada and Mulberry are today accused of ignoring labour rights abuses in the production of their high cost merchandise by Turkish supplier Desa,  where scores of workers have been fired for seeking improvements in working conditions. Incensed after their employees - fed up with abusive conditions - turned to the Turkish leather workers' union, Deri-is, for assistance, Desa declared war on the union and its members, began firing suspected union sympathisers and intimidated many others into resigning their membership.

In a closed-door meeting taped by union members, Desa General Manager, Burak Celet warned workers, "Don't destroy your livelihood! Let me tell you what will happen: Some of you, unfortunately, will be out of a job. Even if all the 701 workers in the factory, including myself join the union I will never accept it. Know this well: This is a 35-year old firm. There has never been a trade union here and there never will be!" He went on to threaten closure of the factory and urged workers to abandon the union promising to pay their costs of resignation.

Neil Kearney, General Secretary of the Brussels-based International Textile, Garment and Leather Workers Federation branded Desa the "unacceptable face of the leather fashion industry" and lashed out at Prada and Mulberry, two of the company's biggest buyers,  dubbing them the ‘see no evil, hear no evil' twins of high fashion.

Said Mr. Kearney, "In the face of irrefutable evidence of workers rights' abuses and unethical practices, Mulberry hides behind the excuse that they don't discuss relations with their suppliers,  while Prada,  conveniently ignoring the shameful inaction on the part of the Turkish government,  claims it would "not hesitate to act" if violations were proven by the authorities. Prada also says the fact that there are still trade union members employed proves that the company is not anti-union. What evidence do they need? 

"Must every last worker demanding an end to abuse be fired before Prada wakes up? It seems the name PRADA really means "Pathetic Response Absolves Desa Abuse"!

Outlining the background to the conflict, Mr. Kearney said that problems began six months ago, when workers began joining the union, Türkiye Deri ?? Sendikas?. "Desa embarked on a daily set of dismissals aimed at eliminating unionisation efforts", he said. "The "worker of the month" award-winner for outstanding productivity was among those fired for "unsatisfactory work". Union members were described as ‘Kurdish terrorists’ and an army colonel was called in to intimidate suspected union members. To date, forty-three union members have been dismissed under intense verbal and physical pressure and a further fifty-three workers have been forced to resign their union membership".

"When the dismissed workers and union leaders demonstrated outside the plant in protest, the company called in the gendarmes to have them detained. Then in October, a worker who was protesting outside Desa's Istanbul plant was offered a hefty bribe. When she rejected it, she was threatened and several days later there was a kidnapping attempt on her daughter.

The ITGLWF has set out the union demands that must be met in order to secure a swift resolution to this situation. "First", says Mr. Kearney,  "the company must reinstate the dismissed workers with average earnings from the date of dismissal to the date of reinstatement.

"Second, it must publicly commit to cease the anti-union campaign and provide a "right to organise guarantee" in the form of a letter to each individual worker, as well as recognising Türkiye Deri Sendikas, providing access to the union's representatives and starting discussions with the union on industrial relations issues.
 
"Third, the company must put in place procedures that will lead to mature systems of industrial relations, including clear company rules, disciplinary and grievance procedures and a protocol for governing the relationship between the company and the union.

The ITGLWF is seeking a meeting with the company, the union and the buyers in order to advance these demands.  "Securing a resolution to this situation will require building a coalition of buyers with a common approach in insisting that Desa uphold Turkish labour law and international labour standards. A key to success will be having the two leading buyers – Prada and Mulberry – as part of the coalition. Unfortunately, Prada and Mulberry might be high in fashion but they appear to be low in demanding supplier ethics.", concluded Mr. Kearney.