“The Low Price” of the textile discounter KiK – consequences for labour conditions in textile factories in Bangladesh: Difference between revisions

The auditor arrives at the factory unannounced and starts his audit by talking to the management and asking for some documents. Then he inspects the whole factory with regard of working conditions, safety aspects and health requirements. He also chooses workers for a later interview. This interview is carried out in absence of the authorities of the factory.<ref name="C" /> “This means that they can find out whether the maximum working hours are adhered to and whether their monthly wages, including overtime, are paid correctly.”<ref name="C" /> After this the auditor evaluates the factory and talks to the management about lacking standards and a suitable procedure to reach the conduct wished state. The audit report is send to the KiK home-office. After a while a re-audit takes place where all criticised points are under examination again.  

This last paragraph describes the way an audit should be and if it functions this way, it is definitely a good instrument to control the code of conduct. The next chapter is based on a research study in 2008 conducted by the society of “Alternative Movement for resources and Freedom” (AMRF), a Bangladeshi NGO, by order of the “Clean Clothes Campaign”. This study was made to reveal the real working conditions in the factories of the suppliers of KiK and Lidl. A team of researchers interviewed 136 workers in six factories. They answered questionnaires and 31 of them were asked in group discussions.<ref name="A" /> Chapter 4 will present the opposite perspective to the announcement of KiK. It shows how the rules and control-audits are tricked and under which conditions the mostly female workers suffer.