£10 School Uniform Worries War on Want
by Matthew Sparkes, London, UK on 06. 1.07
Asda are to start selling school uniforms, including shoes, for less than £10. This has worried anti-poverty campaigners such as War on Want, despite Asda's claims that the clothes are ethically sourced.
Paul Collins, spokesman for War on Want, said, "It is clearly suspect if it costs less than £10. Time and again, Asda's goods have been found to be made using cheap labour."
Last year the group published a report which showed that workers at some factories were being paid as little as 5p an hour to make Asda clothing, and worked up to 80 hours a week. Collins said, "Factory owners are under great pressure to drive down costs in order to keep contracts with Asda. What they believe to be ethical is not accepted as ethical by others."
It's a thorny issue though. Most schools in the UK require children to wear specific uniforms, and they can be expensive. Lower income families are under pressure to find the money for these uniforms, and Asda are catering for these people. However, even the extremes of poverty in the UK cannot justify perpetuating an industry that pays workers 5p per hour. ::The Guardian
