Strictly Come Dancing - Jo Wood steps up sweatshops war

Friday, 23 October 2009

Strictly Come Dancing star Jo Wood today put her best foot forward by supporting the biggest-ever call for British government action to stop fashion retailers exploiting overseas workers today.

She boosted a drive for 50,000 names demanding that UK prime minister Gordon Brown regulates the industry.

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The former model, who now runs a business selling organic skin care products, features among thousands of people already signed up to the Love Fashion Hate Sweatshops campaign run by the anti-poverty charity War on Want.

Jo was shocked by garment workers' hardship when she visited the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka with fair trade fashion company People Tree.

She said:"The conditions that they lived in in the slums were appalling: the rubbish, the smell and the poverty. Up to six people live in a tin room on bamboo stilts above heaps of rubbish. Yet I was humbled by the people and their attitudes."

Ruth Tanner, campaigns and policy director at War on Want, said: "Our charity is thrilled Jo spared us the time from her busy schedule to pose for a photograph and indebted to her for such commitment to this cause. We hope many others will follow her example."

People can add their names and pictures on the campaign's website at www.lovefashionhatesweatshops.org

According to War on Want research, workers making clothes for Primark, Tesco and Asda factories in Dhaka received on average only £19.16 (2280 taka) a month, under half a living wage. Some employees were paid only the minimum wage, £13.97 (1663 taka) a month, far less than the £44.82 (5333 taka) needed to escape dire hardship.

The vast majority of employees live in small, crowded shacks, many of which lack plumbing and adequate washing facilities.Though forced overtime is illegal in Bangladesh, employees said they were made to toil extra hours, often unpaid. Workers complained that in the fast fashion rush to produce the latest styles, many of them suffered verbal and physical abuse as they struggled to meet unrealistic targets. Yet the Dhaka workers said none of their factories was unionised.

Lina earns just £16 (1850 taka) a month, toiling 12 hours a day producing Tesco clothes.

"It is not enough," she said."I can only afford to live in one room with my husband, two-year-old boy and mother-in-law."

Ifat, who toils in a factory supplying Primark, Tesco and Asda, said: "I can't feed my children three meals a day."

The Love Fashion Hate Sweatshops push is also endorsed by pop singer Little Boots, actors Gael Garcia Bernal and Ashley Jensen and clothes designer Betty Jackson.

Among other backers are television personality Tony Robinson, actor-playwright Kwame Kwei-Armah, comedians Jo Brand and Francesca Martinez and gardener Bob Flowerdew.

Story credit: Jo Metson Scott
Image credit: wenn.com