Shopper discovers ‘hidden message’ stitched on to Primark dress

More "slave labour" in the rag trade, but the clothes are cheap so who cares...

http://thedailyedge.thejournal.ie/primark-exhausted-hours-label-1532738-Jun2014/
IRISH CLOTHING RETAILER Primark is investigating after a customer discovered a hand-stitched label with a damning message on a £10 dress she purchased in the store.
Rebecca Gallagher from Swansea, Wales, was surprised to find a second tag sewn over the regular Primark label, which read ‘Forced to work exhausting hours’.
She told the South Wales Evening Post that to her, the label looked like a “cry for help – to let us people in Britain know what is going on.”
She said she rang Primark to ask what was going on, but was put on hold for 15 minutes before being cut off.

Nodin

I suspect agitprop meself.

Mr. Incognito

She managed to slack off long enough to stitch the second tag though, in English.

Amazing how she managed that.

urabell

Look at her, a dress that big was bound to have some message on it, 1000 dresses with 1000 yards of thread will eventually spell out the complete works of Shakespeare given enough time.

http://www.southwales-eveningpost.co.uk/images/localworld/ugc-images/276352/Article/images/21241950/6213922-large.jpg

Yellowblackbird

I got a message in the post one time, written on toilet paper. It said 'Help. They have me trapped in the bathroom'

EuskalHerria

Perfectly placed advert on boards. Solves this problem perfectly.

wretcheddomain

First, it wasn't a hidden message, it was reasonably explicit. Second, if that shopper cared so much about slave labour then why did she bother going there in the first place? Third, it wasn't a dress, it was one half of a pair of 70's curtains the woman will gown herself with after the shower every night.

Archeron

I did not know Primark was Irish, ya learn something every day!

No one should be surprised, if they buy a 10 euro garment that has been assembled in a country thousands of miles away, packaged and shipped to Europe, unpacked, stacked on a shelf by someone else and the payment taken by someone else on a till, that somewhere along the way in the production of this disposable fashion, someone vulnerable and desperate for money has had their labour exploited so that they can buy a cheap dress and throw it away after a few washes.

I don't shop in Primark.

urabell

Candie wrote: »

No one should be surprised, if they buy a 10 euro garment that has been assembled in a country thousands of miles away, packaged and shipped to Europe, unpacked, stacked on a shelf by someone else and the payment taken by someone else on a till, that somewhere along the way in the production of this disposable fashion, someone vulnerable and desperate for money has had their labour exploited so that they can buy a cheap dress and throw it away after a few washes.

I don't shop in Primark.

You're mad if you think the more expensive shops do anything differently, they just have a bigger profit margin

Ronan|Raven

It is canadian owned.

urabell

urabell wrote: »

You're mad if you think the more expensive shops do anything differently, they just have a bigger profit margin

Thats sometimes true, but not always.

If you make an effort to see what country the stuff is both sourced from and manufactured/assembled in, you increase the likelihood of buying ethically. If workers are subject to the labour laws of a western country, they're much less likely to be exploited.

It's more damage limitation than foolproof.

To make no effort at all and just buy the obviously exploitative stuff anyway with the justification that 'they're all the same' is just perpetuating the cycle.

Conditions will only improve when the garment industries in those countries are threatened because people wont buy from places where decent labour laws are not in place and multi-nationals can't outsource their slavery.

sugarman

sugarman wrote: »

British owned

Irish actually http://www.primark.com/en-ie/about-us/about-primark

urabell

Candie wrote: »

Thats sometimes true, but not always.

If you make an effort to see what country the stuff is both sourced from and manufactured/assembled in, you increase the likelihood of buying ethically. If workers are subject to the labour laws of a western country, they're much less likely to be exploited.

It's more damage limitation than foolproof.

To make no effort at all and just buy the obviously exploitative stuff anyway with the justification that 'they're all the same' is just perpetuating the cycle.

Conditions will only improve when the garment industries in those countries are threatened because people wont buy from places where decent labour laws are not in place and multi-nationals can't outsource their slavery.

People in Ireland worked in sweatshops until not so long ago, as these countries pull their socks up and slowly fall over the line into the 21st century things will change for them as well. Time is the only cure, not microactivism.

wretcheddomain

Archeron wrote: »

I did not know Primark was Irish, ya learn something every day!

sugarman wrote: »

British owned

Ronan|Raven wrote: »

It is canadian owned.

Deleted User wrote: »

Irish actually http://www.primark.com/en-ie/about-us/about-primark

It's actually Iraqi owned

David900

Ronan|Raven wrote: »

It is canadian owned.

I think its British owned. It is owned by Associated British Foods.

It was started in Dublin under Penny's brand, but couldn't expand internationally with that name because of the similarity to US retailer JC Penney.

Spanish Eyes

urabell wrote: »

You're mad if you think the more expensive shops do anything differently, they just have a bigger profit margin

I shop in Penneys. Love it. At least I am supporting people who need the jobs abroad. Don't forget this bankrupt country also provides 600million euro a YEAR to Foreign Aid through our taxes, so we do help out big time.

As for the la di dah Labels...I have no doubt they are produced in the same way. Who would know?

Some people are daft not to think this happens.

urabell

urabell wrote: »

People in Ireland worked in sweatshops until not so long ago, as these countries pull their socks up and slowly fall over the line into the 21st century things will change for them as well. Time is the only cure, not microactivism.

That's not the advice given in the UN Anti-Slavery literature, but it's easy advice to follow because it puts no onus on the consumer of the products of slavery to alter their habits.

Nobody can buy ethically 100% of the time, but making no effort to buy ethically at any time isn't going to change anything, ever.

Seaneh

Mr. Incognito wrote: »

She managed to slack off long enough to stitch the second tag though, in English.

Amazing how she managed that.

Yeah, because nobody in the Indian Sub-Continent speaks English...

urabell

Seaneh wrote: »

Yeah, because nobody in the Indian Sub-Continent speaks English...

Anybody who does probably isn't working in a sweatshop.

Candie wrote: »

That's not the advice given in the UN Anti-Slavery literature, but it's easy advice to follow because it puts no onus on the consumer of the products of slavery to alter their habits.

Nobody can buy ethically 100% of the time, but making no effort to buy ethically at any time isn't going to change anything, ever.

The UN might just be the single most ineffective body on the planet.

Wishiwasa Littlebitaller

Most likely put there by bored staff who then hope the note is discovered in one of the fitting rooms so they can then get a good laugh at it being discovered. Guess the all got bored supergluing Euro coins to the footpath.

Spanish Eyes

Candie wrote: »

That's not the advice given in the UN Anti-Slavery literature, but it's easy advice to follow because it puts no onus on the consumer of the products of slavery to alter their habits.

Nobody can buy ethically 100% of the time, but making no effort to buy ethically at any time isn't going to change anything, ever.

Can I ask what your definition of buying ethically is, and how does one totally and absolutely verify the facts?

Atlantic Dawn

Looks like balls to me, would have been someone else quality checking them to check for stuff like this before they left the factory. Then when you get to Primark someone instore has to put them on display, would have been spotted. My guess is someone in the UK having some fun writing on the labels for an unknown reason.

Capt'n Midnight

We're forgetting the most important thing.


How did that dress pass quality control with a second label ??




Reality check
cheap clothes are made in sweatshops, simple as

expensive clothes are also made in sweatshops, the only difference is that the brand owners get a much bigger cut


remember the old statistic about Air Jordan getting paid more by Nike for the ads he did than the entire workforce got paid to to make the footwear

Alf. A. Male

Archeron wrote: »

I did not know Primark was Irish, ya learn something every day!

sugarman wrote: »

British owned

Ronan|Raven wrote: »

It is canadian owned.

Deleted User wrote: »

Irish actually http://www.primark.com/en-ie/about-us/about-primark

wretcheddomain wrote: »

It's actually Iraqi owned

David900 wrote: »

I think its British owned. It is owned by Associated British Foods.

It was started in Dublin under Penny's brand, but couldn't expand internationally with that name because of the similarity to US retailer JC Penney.

Jesus, companies change owners so quickly these days. Who owns it now?

Richard Hillman

Assuming it is from Bangladesh, anybody in Bangladesh that speaks English would be fairly well educated and would have a lot more job prospects than working in a sweat shop. I dont believe it is legit.

Taylor365

Its part of the ABF group.

Founded In Ireland though so if I were to give it a nationality, it would be Irish.

Seaneh

Capt'n Midnight wrote: »

How did that dress pass quality control with a second label ??

Atlantic Dawn wrote: »

Looks like balls to me, would have been someone else quality checking them to check for stuff like this before they left the factory. Then when you get to Primark someone instore has to put them on display, would have been spotted. My guess is someone in the UK having some fun writing on the labels for an unknown reason.

In a factory of a few hundred people pumping out thousands of pieces every day there might be a random quality check of 1 garment per hundred, at the very most. They don't check every piece that goes through the shop floor.

In the store a floor worker would be taking a box of "medium" sized pieces and putting them onto a shelf/hanger/whatever. They don't check labels or quality, they just put them on display in good faith.


I've bought jackets with the pockets not properly stitched, buttons in the wrong place or button holes too tight to actually work. The odds of a label getting through checks isn't all that out of the realms of possibility.

wretcheddomain

Alf. A. Male wrote: »

Jesus, companies change owners so quickly these days. Who owns it now?

The Illuminati of course

Dozen Wicked Words

Primark have replied, querying why a dress that was on sale a year ago only had this issue coming to light now.

http://www.vogue.co.uk/news/2014/06/23/primark-responds-to-the-exhausting-hours-label

Not a regular vogue reader, I Googled it, honest

Spanish Eyes

Spanish Eyes wrote: »

Can I ask what your definition of buying ethically is, and how does one totally and absolutely verify the facts?

A simple way to increase the chances of buying products made with non exploited labour (not foolproof, nothing is) is to buy from other EU countries or Western European countries. They're far more likely to have been manufactured in accordance with labour laws of the individual countries, and even if they aren't, conditions tend to be better anyway.

Also it helps to be aware of particular products and regions with connections to slavery and child slavery.

http://www.laborrights.org/in-the-news/us-lists-countries-exploiting-child-labour

http://edition.cnn.com/2013/10/15/world/child-labor-index-2014/

http://www.businessinsider.com/countries-worst-child-labor-risks-2012-1?op=1

Not all exploited people produce goods sold in the West, it's often things like child and coerced soldiers, sex workers, and farm workers.

Many major sportswear manufacturers have a great deal to be ashamed of. Chocolate, clothing, coffee, tea, and many electronic goods are often produced by the exploited and enslaved. Buying ethically means looking up the companies ethical policy online and making that judgement call. Nobody is perfect or makes all ethical consumer choices, but you can minimise where possible.

People will often choose to change their habits when they become aware of the origins of the things they take for granted. Few people would enjoy chocolate that they know is produced with the labour of children forced and sold into slavery, worked to exhaustion and sometimes death, but if you buy chocolate that isn't Fairtrade, that is actually reasonably likely to have been the case.

Capt'n Midnight

Seaneh wrote: »

In a factory of a few hundred people pumping out thousands of pieces every day there might be a random quality check of 1 garment per hundred, at the very most. They don't check every piece that goes through the shop floor.

Let's pretend for a moment that you are the worker in a sweatshop.

What do you think would happen to your job prospects if the message was found ?

Now do you think that anyone working there would actually try that ??


If the extra label had been underneath, then possibly, but on top ???

Primark was one of the main businesses in the Rana Plaza building in Bangladesh. The day after cracks appeared all over the building, garment workers were ordered to work.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2013_Savar_building_collapse

Over 1120 people were killed and thousands injured.
I'll never give Primark any business.

bnt

I've heard the garment industry described as an industry that follows poverty. It's fairly low-tech, so it isn't reliant on an educated workforce. In the example in the article, Columbia lost major Jockey contracts because they were "too expensive". These days, Bangledesh is the cheapest.

I've made a point of looking for the country of origin, and on all my recent Penneys purchases, the label has no country on it. So I assume Bangladesh unless otherwise specified.

B.A._Baracus

I did a course with an Indian lad two years ago. Customer related course shite. But sweatshops in India got mentioned. He opened my eyes to be honest.

It's a catch 22 situation. These sweatshops are in very poor parts. So on one hand they work the balls of the people which is not right. On the other hand, there are no jobs in these areas and the wages are seen as very good. Because people have nothing. There's no social welfare.... there's hardly jobs... there is nothing but poverty.

It's a weird weird situation. If you close the sweatshops you are making people starve. If you bring in health and safety most corporations will feck off to another country and set up factories there.

JONJO THE MISER

Sure didnt all the people working when bill cullen was growing up work like this and you didnt see them complaining.

Duckworth_Luas

Luckily the dress with that label found its way into a store in an English speaking market. Would have been a waste if it had ended up on a rack in Austria or Germany.

stefan idiot jones

Wishiwasa Littlebitaller wrote: »

Most likely put there by bored staff who then hope the note is discovered in one of the fitting rooms so they can then get a good laugh at it being discovered. Guess the all got bored supergluing Euro coins to the footpath.

Dear Sir, In the United Kingdom the currency is Sterling. Wales is in the UK, Swansea is in Wales, Primark is in St Marys Square opposite St Marys church where the local alcoholics like to frequent with their three litre bottles of White Lightning which were probably bought in Tescos which is four hundred yards away for three pounds fifty sterling.

Tail Docker

stefan idiot jones wrote: »

Dear Sir, In the United Kingdom the currency is Sterling. Wales is in the UK, Swansea is in Wales, Primark is in St Marys Square opposite St Marys church where the local alcoholics like to frequent with their three litre bottles of White Lightning which were probably bought in Tescos which is four hundred yards away for three pounds fifty sterling.

They go down to the bureau de change and get euros to glue to the footpath, it's cheaper than glueing a pound coin. They are very aware of the sterling difference.

mickydoomsux

So this is this weeks Twitter slacktavism thing.

Give it a couple of days and we'll forget about it and move on to the next thing to get pretend-upset about.

#KONY2012
#MichelleObamaholdingupbitsofpaper
#saveourgirls
#firstworldguilt
#insencerity

CarrickMcJoe

She should be put on a Jobsbridge scheme, then she'll know the meaning of slave labour.

Capt'n Midnight

Capt'n Midnight wrote: »

Let's pretend for a moment that you are the worker in a sweatshop.

What do you think would happen to your job prospects if the message was found ?

Now do you think that anyone working there would actually try that ??


If the extra label had been underneath, then possibly, but on top ???

The label was added ( most likely in the shop ) by some activist I thought that much was obvious. Look at the publicity it has generated.

Davarus Walrus

mickydoomsux wrote: »

#insencerity

That's the most relevant one I think. Most of this faux online outrage these days is just so obviously insincere. It's posting a couple of glib 'right on' sentences in between checking facebook and playing candy crush. It’s like a game of who can be the most 'self-righteous' and 'common-sense liberal'. While looking for self-reaffirmation and not actually doing anything about the things you pretend to care deeply about. Even at a micro level.

FTA69

urabell wrote: »

People in Ireland worked in sweatshops until not so long ago, as these countries pull their socks up and slowly fall over the line into the 21st century things will change for them as well. Time is the only cure, not microactivism.

This is nonsense.

Change is not an organic process that happens down to the passage of time alone, it occurs because people make change happen. You are correct that conditions in the West were similar for many years but the only reason they changed is down to the collective struggle of working people over the past 150 years. Things like sick pay, holiday pay, minimum wage, equal pay for women, 8 hour day and an end to child labour were all won on the back of trade union organisation and a long process of agitating for change. They were also opposed tooth and nail by the employers who sought to maximise profit at the expense of the wellbeing of those who worked for them.

What is happening in Bangladesh at the moment is being opposed by a few hard-working trade unionists and other activists who are trying to end the culture of near slavery. These are people we should be supporting because without them, no change will occur in Bangladesh or countries like it.

ElizaT33

I suspect "Candie" sewed on the extra label:D

Gyalist

bnt wrote: »

I've heard the garment industry described as an industry that follows poverty. It's fairly low-tech, so it isn't reliant on an educated workforce. In the example in the article, Columbia lost major Jockey contracts because they were "too expensive". These days, Bangledesh is the cheapest.

I've made a point of looking for the country of origin, and on all my recent Penneys purchases, the label has no country on it. So I assume Bangladesh unless otherwise specified.

There was the more local example of Fruit of the Loom closing their operations in Buncrana and moving them to Morocco despite the inducements offered to them by the Irish government.

RustDaz

This just reminded me of something similar that i found when i worked in the store room of a dunnes stores years ago. I was emptying clothes from boxes and i found a piece of cardboard about the size of a postcard in the box. It had chinese handwriting on both sides and they crammed in as much writing as possible. I put it away to bring it home but some busy body threw it out. I remember that there was an address alright in english on it. Bothers me thinking about it, who knows what the message contained.

AudreyHepburn

Hidden message my eye! The world and it's mother knows where our clothes come from.

Anyone who believes that the clothes we wear are all produced fairly and with the best interests of the people who make them in mind must be living under a rock.

steddyeddy

urabell wrote: »

Anybody who does probably isn't working in a sweatshop.



The UN might just be the single most ineffective body on the planet.

That's not true about English being a ticket out of slavery.

Tombo2001

Candie wrote: »

No one should be surprised, if they buy a 10 euro garment that has been assembled in a country thousands of miles away, packaged and shipped to Europe, unpacked, stacked on a shelf by someone else and the payment taken by someone else on a till, that somewhere along the way in the production of this disposable fashion, someone vulnerable and desperate for money has had their labour exploited so that they can buy a cheap dress and throw it away after a few washes.

I don't shop in Primark.

No one is surprised, but perhaps the surprising thing is that no-one even cares.

steddyeddy

The English thing doesn't bother me but chances are it was stitched on. Who cares who did it. The message wasn't inaccurate these people need help.