Workers rights campaigners have called for the UK’s next government to oppose the online fashion business Shein joining the FTSE, arguing a London listing would be “yet another betrayal to working people everywhere and the planet.” Alena Ivanova, campaigns lead at Labour Behind the Label, said it had heard the news of senior British politicians courting Shein’s £50bn listing “with dismay” given what she claimed was a lack of transparency about its supply chain and ethical concerns. She highlighted: an investigation last month by Switzerland-based non-profit group Public Eye which found that workers producing garments for Shein routinely work more than 70-hour weeks; exposés alleging forced labour in the Uyghur region of China; and the company’s “cavalier approach to design appropriation” which has led to a string oflawsuits relating to allegedly copied garments .
Mathias Bolton, head of commerce at UNI Global Union, which represents service industries around the world, said: “Shein shouldn’t be rewarded with the credibility of being listed in the City, or anywhere else, given the lack of transparency in their supply chain and shocking reports of severe labour violations.” The company, which operates largely from China where it was founded but is headquartered in Singapore, is rumoured to be planning to release documents detailing plans to list on the London Stock Exchange imminently. However, reports this weekend suggested it may not attempt to join.
