Channel 4 of British television showed a documentary investigating working conditions in the factories of the online fast fashion store Shein. Most of the film was filmed with a hidden camera by a journalist who took a job at two factories in China.
According to Channel 4, in one of the factories, a worker’s base salary is around £500 (about NIS 2,000) and the daily output is 500 pieces of clothing. In the second factory, workers receive about 3 pence (about NIS 1.20) per unit. If a worker makes a mistake, 3/4 of the daily wage is taken from him.
In both factories visited by the journalist, the shift is 18 hours, and the work week lasts six days.
The film also talked about how the fast fashion company was engaged in “design theft” by copying the models of famous brands instead of designing their own. According to Channel 4, the company searches social media for new trends, develops designs based on them, and then places small orders at a variety of factories in China.
The Shein company told the TV channel that they are extremely concerned about the facts that were told in the film, which violate the “work code” that is signed with every potential supplier of the store.