Actionaid has released a new report exposing chain magnate ASDA’s poor record of paying its employees in developing countries poverty-level wages.

Actionaid obtained data from an internal ASDA survey and used this information to compile its report which showed that the chain is lagging behind its competitors Marks and Spencer and Primark with regard to overall working conditions, wages and hours. The most alarming instance of underpaying is happening in Bangladesh where employees earn only one quarter of the money they need to feed and clothe their families.

Dominic Eagleton, ActionAid policy advisor, said:

“Asda claims to be a family friendly supermarket but there’s a dark side to its operations. Families are being kept in poverty because Asda’s wages are so low. Women who make Asda’s clothes in factories in India, Bangladesh and other Asian countries struggle to feed their families despite working long hours in deplorable conditions.

“The scandal is that it doesn’t have to be like this. Our new calculations show that if the supermarket paid just 2p extra on every £4 t-shirt it buys from India, it would double workers’ wages and take them out of poverty.”

The report explains that an increase to a living wage would not have to cost consumers. ASDA nets millions of pounds everyday and can well afford  to bring wages up to a fair and reasonable level. They would also then be on par with their competitors who provide their employees with a reasonable wage, which is the right thing to do.

“Asda claims it is improving workers pay but its efforts are limited, or are simply gimmicks, such as installing webcams so customers can monitor factory conditions. But the truth is Asda is falling behind its competitors such as Marks and Spencer and Next. Even Primark’s plans to improve workers’ pay are better than Asda’s.

Actionaid is demanding several changes take place to improve working conditions, they are:

-That Asda publicly commit to pay a living wage, as defined by the Asia Floor Wage coalition, and publish a timetable for implementation.

-That Asda ensures that prices paid to factory suppliers cover the cost of a living wage.

-That Asda ensures that workers and their representatives are central to the implementation of a living wage, and promotes trade union rights in factories.

Actionaid is part of a collective that strives to provide a living wage for workers across Asia and this is only one of their many initiatives that help people in the developing world to have a better quality of life. You can help support their activities today and make a difference.