Swiss Army combat boots, made in Romania by underpaid workers
The Swiss Army’s new combat boots are produced in a factory in northern Romania where employees are paid with about CHF 300 (RON 1,200 or EUR 280) per month, according to a report aired last week in the Rundschau show of the Swiss TV channel SRF, reports local Digi24.
About 80,000 pairs of boots have already been ordered, and another 25,000 pairs will be delivered next year.
The delivery of military boots for the new recruits in the Swiss army was entrusted to the Italian company AKU, whose factory is in northern Romania. Employees here get less than CHF 2 per hour, or CHF 300 per month, which is even lower than the minimum wage in China and doesn’t cover the employees’ basic expenses.
“As buyer, the Swiss government is the one that needs to impose conditions regarding the purchase price and, therefore, regarding the payment of workers,” said Corina Ajder, from the NGO „Clean Clothes Campaign”, which advocates for better work conditions in the light industry.
editor@romania-insider.com
(photo source: Wikipedia)
