More than a year after Shein promised to address excessive working hours in its supply chain, a new report suggests that the Chinese fast fashion company still has a problem.
According to an investigation by Public Eye, a Swiss human rights group that initially highlighted alleged abuses in 2021, workers at some Shein supplier factories are still working 75 hours a week.
“The 75-hour weeks we discovered two years ago still appear to be common at Shein,” the Swiss organization said.
Last summer, Public Eye interviewed 13 textile workers employed in six factories in Guangzhou, a region in southern China. The investigation found that staff worked an average of 12 hours a day, not counting lunch and dinner breaks, and typically for six or seven days a week.
The report also mentioned that workers’ salaries had barely changed since the 2021 report. Their wages fluctuated between 6,000 and 10,000 yuan a month ($829 and 1,382), but after deducting overtime pay, salaries fell to about 2,400 yuan ($332) a month, well below the living wage threshold in China.
Despite these findings, Shein stated to CNN that they do not recognize many of the allegations in the Public Eye report. The company said it is investing tens of millions of dollars to strengthen the governance and compliance of its suppliers, including plans to upgrade hundreds of factories.
However, Public Eye noted that Shein’s code of conduct for suppliers states that staff must work no more than 60 hours per week, including overtime, and must have at least one day off per week.
The advocacy group also mentioned concerns about increased surveillance in factories and observed young people, around 14 or 15 years old, carrying out menial tasks in some of the facilities.
Shein’s efforts to improve working conditions come after increasing scrutiny following allegations of labor exploitation in its supply chain. Despite the ongoing efforts, concerns about excessive working hours and low wages in some Shein supplier factories remain.