What Are The Ethical Issues Facing Primark?
Primark
Primark is an Irish discount retailer, noted for its low cost clothing. In recent years, like many retailers and suppliers in the clothing sector there has been much public critism, with regards to its social policy. More specifically, with regards to its ethical standards particutuarly those employed in its factories located in low cost countries such as India, Bangladesh and China.
Sourcing clothes from such factories has obviously caused not only critiscm from its stakeholders but has in turn caused a public relations challange in the past.
The cricism
The issue, and the major source of controversy surrounding Primark was the use of child labor in one of the said factories, located in India. This not only drew criticism but an …show more content…
It had been revealed that a major supplier, Tamil Nadu, had in fact been using child labor for some of the production processes involved in the production of garments being supplied to Primark.
As a retailer known for the low price point of some of its products, this can only be achieved by using suppliers in low-cost countries such as India. It is therefore inevitable in my view, that this type of controversy was likely to occur in the future. The documentary produced by the BBC was important, and it has to be noted that stakeholders such as the media do have a vested interest in highlighting malpractise occuring in the industry which may be inconsitent with the corporate social policy of the organization …show more content…
However the response from those suppliers was interesting and also worth noting.
It was suggested that at the time, that the organization in question was helping some of the poorest in the region by outsourcing some of its work to home workers. At this particuar time some refugees from Sri Lanka were given such work.
This in turn gained Primark criscim from another stakeholder, from the political arena, the British Labour party. This is a stakeholder with not only a influence of politics but central to the British labour movement is a known organization supporting and influencing the rights of workers.
It was suggested that Primark's actions were “sending the wrong message” as it was discouraging workers from speaking out against working conditions on fear of losing their jobs. Of course, for the child labor problem to be exposed the media, particualrly the BBC would have required the knowledge from a whistleblower (Corporate Eye,
Primark is an Irish discount retailer, noted for its low cost clothing. In recent years, like many retailers and suppliers in the clothing sector there has been much public critism, with regards to its social policy. More specifically, with regards to its ethical standards particutuarly those employed in its factories located in low cost countries such as India, Bangladesh and China.
Sourcing clothes from such factories has obviously caused not only critiscm from its stakeholders but has in turn caused a public relations challange in the past.
The cricism
The issue, and the major source of controversy surrounding Primark was the use of child labor in one of the said factories, located in India. This not only drew criticism but an …show more content…
It had been revealed that a major supplier, Tamil Nadu, had in fact been using child labor for some of the production processes involved in the production of garments being supplied to Primark.
As a retailer known for the low price point of some of its products, this can only be achieved by using suppliers in low-cost countries such as India. It is therefore inevitable in my view, that this type of controversy was likely to occur in the future. The documentary produced by the BBC was important, and it has to be noted that stakeholders such as the media do have a vested interest in highlighting malpractise occuring in the industry which may be inconsitent with the corporate social policy of the organization …show more content…
However the response from those suppliers was interesting and also worth noting.
It was suggested that at the time, that the organization in question was helping some of the poorest in the region by outsourcing some of its work to home workers. At this particuar time some refugees from Sri Lanka were given such work.
This in turn gained Primark criscim from another stakeholder, from the political arena, the British Labour party. This is a stakeholder with not only a influence of politics but central to the British labour movement is a known organization supporting and influencing the rights of workers.
It was suggested that Primark's actions were “sending the wrong message” as it was discouraging workers from speaking out against working conditions on fear of losing their jobs. Of course, for the child labor problem to be exposed the media, particualrly the BBC would have required the knowledge from a whistleblower (Corporate Eye,