Kate Middleton urged to lobby fashion chain Zara over allegations of slave labour

January 7th, 2012

FAKE NEWS for the Zionist agenda

Zara hit by a string of ‘slave labour’ scandals including deaths of two workers in a Bangladeshi factory

By
Rebecca English, Royal Correspondent

Last updated at 10:36 AM on 7th January 2012

Calls for help: Campaigners have called on the Duchess of Cambridge to put pressure on her favourite High Street store to better the lives of its workers

Campaigners have called on the Duchess of Cambridge to put pressure on her favourite High Street store to better the lives of its workers.

Zara has hit by a string of ‘slave labour’ scandals including the deaths last month of two workers in a Bangladeshi factory which supplies the Spanish chain.

Kate, who turns 30 on Monday, is seen regularly shopping in the chain’s branches and has worn two of its outfits on high profile public occasions since becoming a member of the royal family.

The first was a £49.99 cornflower blue dress she sported the day after her April wedding as she and Prince William left by helicopter from Buckingham Palace.

The second was a daringly short nude and black lace tulip dress she wore to a Gary Barlow charity concert at the Royal Albert Hall shortly before Christmas.

Both sold out within hours.

The publicity was a huge coup for the firm which has been heavily criticised for the standards in factories used to manufacture its clothes.

This week hundreds of workers took to the streets in Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, demanding compensation for the families of victims of a blaze at the Eurotex factory in December.

Taslima Akter, 22, and Jesmin Akter, 20, were died after a boiler explosion caused staff to stampede.

The country’s National Garment Workers’ Association, partnered by British charity War On Want, are supporting the calls for redress.

Greg Muttitt, campaigns and policy director at War on Want, said: ‘Kate has been a public ambassador for the Zara brand. In contrast, she has shown no interest in the lives and conditions of the workers who make Zara’s clothes.

Problems: Zara has hit by a string of ¿slave labour¿ scandals including the deaths last month of two workers in a Bangladeshi factory which supplies the Spanish chain

Problems: Zara has been hit by a string of ‘slave labour’ scandals including the deaths last month of two workers in a Bangladeshi factory which supplies the Spanish chain

‘Following this tragedy, a people’s princess would insist that Zara fairly compensates the bereaved families and call on the British government to enact legislation to protect overseas workers for UK retailers.’

Zara is owned by Inditex, a family business founded in 1975 by Amancio Ortega.

The 75-year old is the richest man in Spain and ranked seventh in Forbes’ billionaires list, with an estimated fortune of $31bn (£19bn).

It is hugely popular for its mid-range priced fashion and has 1,540 stores worldwide, including 64 in the UK.

In 2005 64 workers were killed at another Bangladeshi factory producing their clothes and questions have been raised about the conditions of its workers in Brazil.

The company was unavailable for comment yesterday due to the fact that it was a public holiday in Spain.

Here’s what other readers have said. Why not add your thoughts,
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The comments below have been moderated in advance.

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Zara does not own the factory in Bangladesh and therefore it is ridiculous to suggest that they are responsible for paying compensation. The factory has a Bangladeshi owner and this person is squarely responsible for the tragic deaths.
Most retail outlets buy their produce through intermediaries who are responsible for negotiating with the factories. Despite all the previous, conditions in bangladesh factories have improved many, many times thanks to the Zaras, HMs and MSs of this world.
There is no slavery in Bangladesh. Wages are very low in comparison with Europe but relatively reasonable when compared to general labour wages in the country.

– once of Senegal, Neverneverland, 07/1/2012 10:54

Practically every high street shop in the UK sells goods made by slave labour in 3rd world countries and that includes electronic items and computers, what’s Catherine got to do with it , if she is responsible then so is every other Britain who has bought and item made in India, Pakistan, China, Indonesia etc. etc. etc., ad infinitum. You might like to start at the top with Harvey Nichols and Harrod then move on to the House of Frazer. Not to mention Nestle and its child labour coffee and cocoa plantations in Africa and Sth America.

– oh dear!, Sydney Australia, 07/1/2012 10:39

***I’ve shopped at Zara too so do I have to pay the families money too??? what a load of crap leave the princess out of it!
– groves82, Crawley west Sussex, 7/1/2012 4:39*** Oh yes darling, why should the princess care about other people, right? lets all only worry about fashion, who cares if its from slave work or regards animal cruelty! NOT

– Marc, Paris, 07/1/2012 10:01

Princess Anne’s daughter might have more sway 🙂

– True Brit, UK, 07/1/2012 09:58

I’ve shopped at Zara too so do I have to pay the families money too??? what a load of crap leave the princess out of it!
– groves82, Crawley west Sussex, 07/1/2012 06:39
Kate is a Duchess, not a princess , but, unlike us lot, she has more authority to tackle such factory abuses. Anita Roddick of the “Body Shop” was always defending third world workers, particularly in Bangladesh , and she achieved a lot !

– Anna, somewhere else, 07/1/2012 09:43

There’s a decent project for Catherine to take on – abolishing the use of slave and child labour in the clothing industry.

– bluejay, Jersey, 07/1/2012 09:28

I’ve shopped at Zara too so do I have to pay the families money too??? what a load of crap leave the princess out of it!
– groves82, Crawley west Sussex, (null)
No but you could have a conscience and stop shopping there now, Kate could stop wearing their clothes which is clearly helping to promote them and boosting their profits! Not difficult really!

– Bev, Leeds UK, 07/1/2012 08:54

Can’t see the Duchess getting political…

– Arabella Stuart, NY, USA, 07/1/2012 08:42

so, a fire takes place and the company buying the goods should pay compensation?
Does this mean that Britain is going to compensate de descendants of slave laborers English pirates transported and put to work on the sugar fields? Are the mansions in England going to be opened (built by the profits of the sugar trade) going to be opened for south americans?

– mark, Mark, 07/1/2012 08:32

I’ve shopped at Zara too so do I have to pay the families money too??? what a load of crap leave the princess out of it!

– groves82, Crawley west Sussex, 07/1/2012 06:39

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