Business
UK lawmakers could question Shein over workers’ rights early next year
Published by Jessica Weisman-Pitts
Posted on November 4, 2024
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LONDON (Reuters) -British lawmakers could question executives of online fast-fashion group Shein on workers’ rights as early as January, ahead of a possible London listing, according to the head of a parliamentary committee.
The House of Commons’ Business and Trade Committee last week opened an inquiry into employment rights.
It plans to examine the new Labour government’s employment rights bill in the context of protection for UK workers, but will also look at how to ensure adequate protection against poor labour standards overseas, including concerns over forced labour in international supply chains.
Labour lawmaker and former minister Liam Byrne, the chair of the committee, said in an e-mailed statement to Reuters that he expected Shein to be among the witnesses the committee considers as part of the inquiry, though the final list was not yet agreed.
Parliamentary inquiries consider oral and written evidence and usually result in the publication of a report.
Shein, headquartered in Singapore but originally founded in China, is working towards a London IPO and awaiting regulatory approval from British and Chinese authorities after confidentially filing papers with Britain’s market regulator in early June.
The company declined to comment on the potential invitation to appear at the committee inquiry.
However Shein, which has faced criticism in Britain and elsewhere over labour standards in its supply chain, has previously said it is committed to respecting human rights and has a zero-tolerance policy for forced labour.
(Reporting by James Davey and Helen Reid; Editing by Tomasz Janowski and Jan Harvey)