In 2013, year zero of the ethical awakening in the fashion industry, absolutely everyone – brands, states, consumers – came to know about the dismal and perilous conditions in the factories that dress our shop windows. The current health emergency is exposing the seams of inadequate [...]

Vietnam has, rightly, been praised for its incredibly impressive and effective COVID-19 response. Largely missing from commentary on Vietnam’s coronavirus response, however, has been the important role of grassroots pressure from workers.

The fishing industry is one of the world’s most violent. With demand exploding and owners looking to cut costs, cases of forced labour on fishing vessels are multiplying.

Sixty-one per cent of the global workforce has neither a fixed employment contract nor a safety net to deal with lockdown measures. Organisations that represent informal workers are demanding a say in designing public policy on economic recovery and [...]

“The employers just think about their money and tell us to work, work, work, work,” answers Rosa. “But our work is so important. Why isn’t it appreciated?”

Migrant farm workers are extremely vulnerable to the coronavirus as social distancing is virtually “impossible under conditions H-2A workers typically experience in the United States”.