Anti-poverty coalition in forced labour row

The Make Poverty History coalition suffered a major blow yesterday after it was revealed that white wristbands they have sold were made in Chinese factories accused of using forced labour.

The fashionable white wristbands, worn by celebrities and politicians including Tony Blair, were made for a coalition of charities as the symbol of their worldwide 2005 campaign to end extreme poverty.

Oxfam, Christian Aid and Cafod are amongst those charities selling the wristbands, made in rubber and fabric, at £1 ($2.55) each.

But it emerged yesterday that reports into two factories manufacturing the bands found the working conditions represented a violation of both Chinese law and the standards set by the Ethical Trading Initiative, which promotes better international working practices.

One of the factories, Tat Shing Rubber Manufacturing Company in Shenzen, in China, found employees were working a seven-day week for wages falling below the minimum wage, with no annual leave, no right to freedom of association, poor health and safety provisions.

Another report, on the Fuzhou Xing Chun Trade Company, found workers being paid below the minimum wage with workers having pay deducted for disciplinary reasons.

Almost three million bands have been sold since the campaigns launch in January, with almost two million of those sold in the UK.

The majority of bands sold are fabric and not made in the factories, which have produced silicon versions.

Costing £1, 70p of which goes to charity, they have adorned the wrists of many in the public eye, from politicians to actresses such as Sienna Miller.

The reports have sparked disagreements between the charities, who are now embarking on internal investigations to find out why the factories were not given a thorough 'social audit' into their working practices before contracts were awarded.

Christian Aid and Cafod say they only placed orders with the factory in Shenzen after Oxfam gave them the go-ahead, having itself placed an order for 10,000 bands after it saw a preliminary audit, which, they admit, had some "unanswered questions."

While awaiting the results of a full audit, Oxfam abandoned Shenzen and began assessing the factory in Fujian for its suitability.

Meanwhile, Christian Aid placed orders for 500,000 bands, and Cafod for 120,000.

They say Oxfam failed to tell them it had stopped dealing with the Shenzen factory, although Oxfam insists that it did.

Oxfam maintains that they made sure that working conditions at the Fujian factory were satisfactory before it placed an order for 1.5 m bands in April this year.

Dominic Nutt, Emergency Specialist at Christian Aid, said: "We made mistakes. Oxfam had in one way or another thought it had been done and we all took that in good faith. There is a good reason for that - Oxfam has very high standards. We were stupid - we didn't check it out, Cafod didn't check it out, and Oxfam didn't check it out."

Alison Fenney, Director of Advocacy and Communications at Cafod, said the charities were now working with both factories to improve labour standards.

She added: "It is vital that we work to ensure that conditions for the workers are improved. If we were to just get up and leave, their position would not change."

A spokesman for Oxfam said that no bands produced in the Shenzen factory had been sold in any Oxfam shops.

"We are concerned about the ethical audit, and have made plans to address concerns, which are being carried out, but it is important that this does not distract from the importance of the campaign overall," he said.

- INDEPENDENT

* Shuna Lennon, advocacy and campaigns manager for Oxfam NZ, issued a statement following publication of stories on this issue in the UK.  

She said: "Some of the British articles give the impression that Oxfam Great Britain has sold white bands which were produced in factories that violate ethical standards. 

"This is not true. All white bands sold by Oxfam Great Britain have been sourced in accordance with Oxfam Great Britain's Ethical Purchasing Policies. 

"White bands for sale in New Zealand have been purchased through Oxfam Great Britain. Before purchase, Oxfam New Zealand sought and obtained assurance from Oxfam GB that the bands were ethically sourced."