A factory belonging to a former Tesco clothing supplier has been raided by Thai police over alleged poor working conditions.
This comes as part of an investigation by The Guardian, which revealed last week that the leading retailer is facing a lawsuit from 130 former workers who made F&F Clothing items at VK Garment Factory (VKG).
The workers who were at the site between 2017 and 2020 are suing Tesco for alleged negligence, after reportedly working 99-hour weeks for pay as little s £3 a day in unsafe conditions.
The raid led by Thailand deputy national police chief, Gen Surachet Hakparn on Tuesday checked the conditions and interviewed workers, while welfare officials plan to interview more than 130 workers at the factory.
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Surachet said in a statement: “Once I learned about the incident, I immediately contacted the department of labour and welfare to inspect the factory.
“I had a tour of the factory site, worker accommodation and interviewed workers. I found that the company has an issue with wage payment to the workers and that the case is still in process with the labour court.”
While Tesco was not involved in the day-to-day running of the site, it told The Guardian that the claims were “incredibly serious” and had it known the issues, would “have ended our relationship with this supplier immediately.”
A Tesco spokesperson said: “Protecting the rights of everyone working in our supply chain is absolutely essential to how we do business. In order to uphold our stringent human rights standards, we have a robust auditing process in place across our supply chain and the communities where we operate.
“We understand the Thai labour court has awarded compensation to those involved, and we would continue to urge the supplier to reimburse employees for any wages they’re owed.”
VKG managing director, Sirikul Tatiyawongpaibul told The Guardian that nothing illegal was found at the factory.
She said: “We have provided safe working conditions to all employees. We are regularly audited by independent auditors who are not affiliated with the company to maintain good working conditions for our employees and as required by law.”
