KOGGALA - Trade unions and workers' rights campaigners are urging brands to help 1,500 garment workers at two closure-threatened factories owned by the apparel manufacturing giant Esquel in Sri Lanka.
The Free Trade Zones and General Service Employees Union (FTZ & GSEU) and the Clean Clothes Campaign (CCC) want both Esquel and brands which have sourced from the factories to support the workers who face the loss of their livelihoods.
However, the Hong Kong-based Esquel Group, which owns Esquel Sri Lanka, insists that it is following or exceeding all national labour laws, including paying legally-required compensation as well as salaries and bonuses in full.
