When global garment and footwear brands first responded to the pandemic by cancelling orders already placed with factories, workers across the globe bore the brunt through unpaid wages, pay reductions, and mass dismissals. Workers are owed between US$3.19 and $5.79 billion for the first three weeks of the pandemic alone. In response, since March, workers have been taking to the streets in protest and to demand what they are legally owed.

This week, the Clean Clothes Campaign global network is organizing the Pay Your Workers week of action calling on major brands, such as Primark, H&M and Nike, to ensure that workers in their global supply chains receive the pay they are entitled to. Actions are being organized around the world to amplify workers’ voices and to pressure brands and retailers to make public commitments to assure that the workers who made their goods are paid their full regular wages or the legal minimum wage, whichever is greater, throughout the pandemic. The campaign is also calling on brands to ensure that in cases of factory closures, workers receive their full severance pay and any back pay owing.

Click here for more information on how workers in Primark, H&M and Nike’s supply chains have been impacted by the pandemic and what actions workers have taken to defend their rights, as well as sample tweets and other ways to take action. 

You can also sign the Labour Behind the Label petition asking Primark, to publish their commitment to ensure that all workers in their supply chain are paid their legally mandated or regular wages and benefits, whichever is higher. This includes back pay and, where applicable, negotiated severance pay.