優衣庫承諾改善中國"血汗工廠"勞動環境

The parent company of fast-fashion retailer Uniqlo has vowed to take steps to improve working conditions at two Chinese factories, responding to criticism levied by a Hong Kong-based nonprofit that alleged unsafe working conditions and excessive long hours.

日前，香港一家非營利組織批評稱，快時尚零售商優衣庫的兩家中國工廠環境危險，且工時過長。作爲迴應，優衣庫母公司承諾，將採取措施，改善兩家工廠的勞動環境。

A nonprofit called Students and Scholars Against Corporate Misbehavior (SACOM), which lobbies for workers’ rights, issued a report earlier this month that lamented the working conditions at two key Chinese suppliers of Uniqlo knit fabrics and apparel. The group raised a number of issues: workers having to log overtime hours to make a decent living, and the issue that overtime wages were at times miscalculated. Other allegations in the report included high temperatures at both facilities, as well as poor ventilation, with high cotton dust levels in the air and dirty sewage flowing on the floor.

該非營利組織名爲“大學師生監察無良企業行動”，旨在維護工人權利。本月早些時候，該組織發佈報告，批評優衣庫有關針織面料和服裝的兩大中國供應商工作條件不佳。該組織指出了工廠存在的一系列問題：工人爲了維持收入必須加班工作，而且加班工資有時會算錯。報告中還提出：兩家工廠車間溫度過高，通風不良，空氣中佈滿棉塵，地面污水橫流等。

SACOM, which provided photos of its findings in the factories in the report, said workers were also unrepresented and thus had no effective platform to voice their complaints.

在報告中，該組織提供了其調查結果的相關照片，並表示兩間工廠的工人未能得到代表，因而缺乏有效的發聲渠道。

“We are disappointed about the findings as the well-being of workers cannot be fully guaranteed in both factories,” SACOM said in the report. “We believe that both the factories and Uniqlo have enough capacity to provide a decent working environment to their workers.”

這家非營利組織在報告中寫道：“我們對兩家工廠的工人工作缺乏保障深感失望。我們相信，兩家工廠和優衣庫有足夠的能力，爲工人提供有尊嚴的工作環境。”

Japan-based Fast Retailing has issued two swift responses. First, the company issued an immediate response touting a commitment to respecting human rights and ensuring appropriate working conditions for employees of production partners.

優衣庫母公司、總部位於日本的迅銷集團迅速做出了兩項迴應。首先，迅銷立即回覆稱公司致力於尊重人權、確保生產合作夥伴的員工獲得合適的工作條件。

In a more detailed response several days later, Fast Retailing, which is listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange with a secondary listing in Hong Kong, said its own independent inspection revealed “several issues, including long working hours.” “Fast Retailing has urged swift action against the factories on the issues identified in the SACOM report, and we will cooperate fully with them to ensure that improvements are made,” said Yukihiro Nitta, the executive that leads corporate social responsibility for Fast Retailing. The executive promised Fast Retailing would check progress within a month.

幾天後，在東京證券交易所和香港兩地上市的迅銷集團又增加了一份更詳細的迴應，稱其獨立調查發現了“超時工作等部分問題”。集團負責企業社會責任的高管新田幸弘表示：“迅銷已強烈要求兩家公司迅速採取改善措施，同時我們也將予以全力配合以確保問題得到改善。”新田幸弘承諾，迅銷將在一個月內檢視改善的進度。

The company instructed one of the factories to ensure working hours were recorded and reported correctly, and also requested a government agency conduct a thorough check of air quality and immediately ensure that the production floor is clean. For the second location, Fast Retailing moved to increase holidays for workers and make other improvements in working hours, as well as review the working environment at that facility.

迅銷要求其中一家工廠確保準確記錄並報告所有勞動時間，並立即委託政府部門實施生產車間空氣質量的測定和檢查，並立即確保生產車間乾淨整潔。對於另一家工廠，迅銷承諾增加工人假期，減少工時，並檢查車間工作環境。

In both cases, Fast Retailing wants to monitor the management of the facilities, investigating and moving to eliminate any fines or punishments that are levied on employees. SACOM had alleged workers faced penalties if mistakes were made, which it claims is a method used to control and maintain product quality.

對於兩家工廠，迅銷都希望監督工廠管理，調查並取消對僱員的任何罰款或處罰。在非營利組織的報告中，曾披露工人如果出現失誤將面臨處罰，據稱此方法是爲了控制和保持產品質量。

Fast Retailing, with about 30,000 employees, was established in 1963 though it opened its first Uniqlo store in Japan in 1984. The apparel maker, which accounts for about 6% of the Japanese apparel market today, now relies mostly on global expansion to boost growth. The company’s Uniqlo chain sells relatively low priced apparel and first entered the U.S. market with a focus on urban locations. Fast Retailing has reported consistent annual sales growth for a decade, bolstered in part by adding more stores.

擁有近3萬名員工的迅銷集團，成立於1963年，其首家優衣庫店鋪於1984年在日本開業。如今，迅銷集團在日本服裝市場佔有約6％的市場份額，增長主要依賴全球擴張。公司旗下的優衣庫連鎖店銷售相對廉價的服裝。近10年來，迅銷集團銷售額年年增長，部分要歸功於不斷開設新店。（財富中文網）