The UK Parliament is set to question China-based fast fashion online retailer Shein and Cross-border shopping platform Temu, owned by the mainland e-commerce giant Pinduoduo, about the rights of workers in the supply chain.
According to Reuters, the Business and Trade Committee in the UK has requested Shein to attend a parliamentary hearing on January 7. As part of an ongoing investigation into labor rights initiated since last October, the bipartisan committee will also question Temu.
The committee, headed by former Labour cabinet minister Liam Byrne, will focus on the protection of British workers from the perspective of domestic labor rights laws. Additionally, the committee aims to prevent products produced under poor labor standards from other countries, such as China, from entering the UK market. These products might originate from supply chains where labor rights are compromised, including issues like long working hours, low wages, or unsafe working conditions.
The committee has expressed concerns about alleged forced labor in the supply chains of Shein and Temu, hoping to take measures to ensure that products in the UK market do not involve these issues.
According to updates on the committee’s website, Yinan Zhu, the Director of Legal for the Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) region at Shein, has been summoned as a witness to testify at the hearing.
Stephen Heary, the Senior Legal Counsel, and Leonard Klenner, the Senior Compliance Manager of Temu, have also been requested to testify.
Shein has declined to comment on the hearing. Temu was unable to immediately respond to Reuters’ request for comments.
These two platforms have been accused of selling clothing, footwear, small tools, and accessories at ultra-low prices while facing allegations of poor working conditions at factories in China and involvement in forced labor in their supply chains.
In June last year, the human rights organization “Stop Uyghur Genocide” took legal action to halt Shein’s plans to go public on the London Stock Exchange. The organization accused Shein’s suppliers of using forced labor of Uyghur people. In response, Shein stated that it has a zero-tolerance policy towards forced labor and is committed to respecting human rights.
Margaret Beels, Director of the Labor Market Enforcement Directorate at the UK Department for Business and Trade, and Eleanor Lyons, the Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner, have also been invited to attend the hearing. Lyons had expressed concerns about Shein’s London IPO last year.