In December of 2013 Finnwatch published a report that claimed workers in the plant were found to not have enough protective equipment, working conditions were extremely hot, and workers were not given sufficient break time.
But now Finnwatch says working conditions are improved. They say part of the improvement include the installation of fire alarms and acquisition of safety equipment at the facility. Workers are now allowed to take part in training and are able to take legally-mandated holidays.
“The Finnish companies and their Thai subcontractors have brought about concrete changes in a short time, which pleases us,” Finnwatch executive director Sonja Vartiala said.
Vartiala encouraged Marimekko to continue working at the Thai plant, so that the plant’s subcontractors are able to make long-term plans to further improve conditions for workers.
More transparency in supply chain
When Finnwatch published its 2013 report on Marimekko, it claimed the company hid information about the glass factory and refused to give Finnwatch information about their suppliers. At the time, Finnwatch claimed that it was forced to track them down on their own – and now says a big change has happened in the years since.
“Now Marimekko publishes its key suppliers on its website and the fashion house is now regarded as a pioneer of corporate responsibility,” Vartiala says. “We recommend that Fiskars, who owns Iittala, also will release information about who its subcontractors are.”
Room for improvement
Vartiala says that some of the Thai staff at the glass factory still only get minimum wages for their labour. The next step, she says, is to calculate wages that would cover basic living costs and to increase wages gradually.
Finnwatch says it would like big companies to pledge their commitment to human rights agreements.