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24 June, 2025Next is proving not to live up to its fundamental promises when it comes to workers’ rights. From refusing to sign a landmark agreement to improve wages in Cambodia, to abandoning Sri Lankan workers by text and continuing business in Myanmar despite documented risks of grave human rights abuses under the military junta, Next consistently puts profit over people. Even its UK retail staff are denied a living wage, dismissed as “not breadwinners” by the company’s CEO.
Last year, manufacturers, brands and trade unions in Cambodia agreed on the first supply-chain supported collective bargaining agreements (ACT for Cambodia). They have jointly developed a supply chain industrial relations framework to improve wages, strengthen industrial relations and foster a stable and competitive industry. While UK brands, such as Asos, Tesco, New Look and Primark have all signed the legally binding support agreement, ACT member Next has refused despite the call from Cambodian workers and their unions to do so.
By not signing, Next has decided to deny these workers, mostly women in the more than 50 factories that supply Next, decent wages and better benefits. Next also refuses to commit to a living wage for its 40,000 retail staff in the UK, with Next CEO Lord Simon Wolfson saying at the company’s AGM on 15 May that the “demographic” of his workforce - mostly women and young people – meant that their jobs are only "supplementary income" as they are not breadwinners.
Next’s most recent corporate responsibility report states that “protecting the safety, human rights and wellbeing of workers in our supply chain is fundamental.” However, the company’s actions in Myanmar, Cambodia and Sri Lanka show that it is severely failing the many thousands of workers in its production supply chain.
In May this year, Next shut a factory in a free trade zone in Sri Lanka, a wholly owned subsidiary, underscoring the company’s complete lack of respect for workers. More than 1,400 workers were informed that they were made redundant via text message and locked out of their workplace. Workers, some of whom were loyal workers for over three decades, were cast aside without formal negotiations with their trade union, FTZ.
IndustriALL filed an OECD complaint against Next in November 2024, due to its decision to continue sourcing from Myanmar despite an ILO Commission of Inquiry finding forced labour and freedom of association violations in the country, and documented violations in Next supplier factories. The case is currently being considered by the UK NCP.
On 5 June, the International Labour Conference of the ILO voted to invoke Article 33 of the ILO Constitution. Article 33 is the highest sanction in the ILO, and has only been invoked three times in the organisation’s history.
The Article 33 resolution calls on representatives of employers, governments and workers to work together to “to disable all means that have abetted or empowered the perpetuation of the above-mentioned egregious violations” through ending financial flows, business relations, imposing sanctions and other means. There is global consensus on the seriousness of the situation in Myanmar, and the need for coordinated action to isolate the regime financially and politically.
Says IndustriALL general secretary Atle Høie:
“Next’s actions to cast aside international labour standard and due diligence obligations in Sri Lanka, Myanmar and Cambodia makes its CSR reporting a pure whitewashing exercise. Participating in the ACT negotiations for eight years only to refuse to shoulder the responsibility that comes with it is unacceptable.”
Photo: Myanmar textile and garment factory, March 2018