By Sachin Ravikumar and Chandini Monnappa BENGALURU, Oct 14
By Sachin Ravikumar and Chandini Monnappa
BENGALURU, Oct 14 (Reuters) – A high attire trade watchdog has launched an investigation into underwear maker Jockey Worldwide’s Indian companion Web page Industries Ltd PAGE.NS following allegations of human rights abuses at one among its factories, the watchdog informed Reuters.
The investigation by U.S.-based Worldwide Accountable Accredited Manufacturing (WRAP) comes after Norway’s $1 trillion sovereign wealth fund dropped Web page from its funding portfolio resulting from considerations of human rights violations at “Unit-III” – one among Web page’s Jockey manufacturing websites within the southern Indian metropolis of Bengaluru.
Web page has denied wrongdoing and referred to as allegations of verbal abuse and office intimidation in opposition to staff “outrageous”. It didn’t reply Reuters’ questions in regards to the WRAP probe however mentioned it has proof which “flatly disproves” the allegations.
In an e mail to Reuters, WRAP spokesman Seth Lennon mentioned such violations might usually lead to a manufacturing unit dropping its certification.
“Ought to the ability refuse to remediate such non-compliances or ought to the remediation efforts be inadequate, WRAP will revoke the ability’s certification. In case any non-compliances famous show to be so egregious as to go away no room for remediation, WRAP reserves the best to right away droop the ability’s certificates,” Lennon mentioned.
WRAP mentioned it makes certification selections on a facility-by-facility foundation and that it investigates each time it receives credible considerations.
The Web page web site underneath investigation is licensed till Nov. 15. WRAP didn’t say whether or not it could examine any of Web page’s different manufacturing websites.
A WRAP certificates is far wanted by garment factories in nations together with India, Bangladesh, China and Vietnam, because it supplies assurance to worldwide clothes manufacturers {that a} manufacturing unit adheres to sure moral and security requirements.
U.S.-based Jockey, a WRAP founding member, informed Reuters it requires all of its companions to keep up the certification and that it could “intently monitor” the end result of an inside analysis of the allegations being carried out by Web page. It didn’t touch upon whether or not it could sever ties with Web page if the Indian firm was censured by WRAP.
Bengaluru-headquartered Web page is the unique licensee for Jockey put on in India and 6 different nations. Web page additionally makes attire for Britain-based swimwear maker Speedo, however in a smaller capability.
Speedo mentioned final month it could examine the Norwegian wealth fund’s allegations and comply with up with Web page “as a matter of urgency”. It didn’t reply to a Reuters e mail looking for touch upon the WRAP probe.
Whereas WRAP didn’t specify when it started its investigation into the Web page manufacturing unit, an individual with information of the event mentioned it began in late September.
The Unit-III manufacturing unit in Bengaluru employs about 1,000 employees. Web page, which reported roughly $400 million in income within the fiscal yr ended March 31, didn’t disclose what quantity of gross sales got here from Unit-III.
The end result of the WRAP probe is due within the coming weeks, the individual mentioned, with out specifying a date. The individual was not authorised to talk publicly on the matter and so declined to be recognized.
WRAP mentioned it could not touch upon the main points of an ongoing investigation.
Web page mentioned it has engaged with the Norwegian wealth fund’s Council on Ethics – the physique which really helpful the fund exclude Web page from its portfolio after its investigation “assessed the danger that Web page is contributing to or is itself answerable for systematic abuses of internationally recognised human and labour rights”.
The Council on Ethics informed Reuters it had accepted Web page’s request for a gathering, and that it could doubtless must conduct one other investigation to evaluate whether or not its suggestion on Web page ought to change.
(Reporting by Sachin Ravikumar and Chandini Monnappa in Bengaluru; Modifying by Nivedita Bhattacharjee, Euan Rocha and Christopher Cushing)
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