The Burma Campaign UK welcomed an undertaking by mkone to stop sourcing clothes from Burma. The Burma Campaign UK had planned to launch a boycott campaign on Saturday 17th March, starting with a protest at mkone’s Brighton store, on Western Street. The protest would have taken place from 12-5pm. Protesters will instead be celebrating the withdrawal of mkone from sourcing from Burma.
mkone chief executive Dominic Galvin today told the Burma Campaign UK that suppliers had breached a policy not to source from Burma, that all clothes sourced from Burma would be withdrawn, and steps taken to ensure suppliers did not source from Burma in future.
“We are delighted that mkone have listened to our concerns, and acted so swiftly to ensure none of their clothing will come from Burma in future,” said Vicky Houston, organiser of the boycott campaign. “We call on all retailers to ensure they don’t source clothing from Burma.”
Clothing exports are an important source of income for Burma’s brutal military dictatorship. Burmese trade unions have called on companies not to source clothing from Burma, as the clothing exports help to fund the dictatorship. The USA banned imports of clothing from Burma in 2003. More than 130 major high street clothing retailers, including M&S, Next, ASDA, H&M, Debenhams, House of Fraser and BHS, have policies not to source from Burma.
mkone had previously refused to disclose to the Burma Campaign UK whether it sourced clothing from Burma, but campaigners found several items of clothing marked ‘Made in Myanmar’ (the regime’s name for Burma) in mkone in Brighton.
Burma appeals to manufacturers because of its very cheap labour, ban on trade unions and lack of health and safety laws. Factory wages are as low as 5p an hour. A factory employee working 60 hours a week could earn just £3. This is below the United Nations definition of an extreme poverty income.
British Prime Minister Tony Blair has also condemned companies trading with Burma. In June 2003 he told the House of Commons: “..we do not believe that trade is appropriate when the regime continues to suppress the basic human rights of its people.”
For more information contact Mark Farmaner, Acting Director of the Burma Campaign UK on 020 7324 4713