Media report reveals undignified working conditions at Zara in Sweden

In its programme 200-seconds, one of Sweden’s biggest newspapers Aftonbladet has looked in-depth at working conditions at Spanish fast-fashion company Zara. UNI member and Swedish commerce union Handels has a similar picture of how it is to work at Zara. As its President, Linda Palmetzhofer, said:

“Zara behaves unseriously and disrespectfully towards Handels members. Reports that employees are clocked when they need to go to the toilet and need to stand in small framed squares to carry out their duties is not only undignified, it is absurd. The trade union health and safety representatives are fighting as hard as they can to improve the situation, but in the end Zara needs to adapt to our Swedish model more than just on paper.” 

Handels members are to a large extent part-time employees and health and safety representatives testify that it’s difficult to fulfil their role at the company. 

“It’s not enough to sign a collective agreement and then repeatedly prove to have a crappy work environment. We have been clear that we want a better collaboration with the company and welcome conversations to make the situation better. Now it’s up to Zara to prove it,” said Martin Nyberg, secretary of the Stockholm School of Economics. 

Earlier, the Swedish Work Environment Authority reviewed Zara and raised serious criticism about working conditions. Handels invites Zara to a dialogue about the work environment – because commerce workers deserve better. 

They will also meet with the members at Zara around Sweden to look in to the situation. Targeted health and safety inspections are highly on our agenda. They have previously pursued various cases on behalf of the members at Zara both to the Labour Court and the Swedish Work Environment Authority and do not hesitate to do so again if the company violates laws or agreements.