Labour unionists protest working conditions at Zara

Labour unionists assembled at rue Neuve in the centre of Brussels on Tuesday morning to protest working conditions at Zara and other stores owned by the Inditex parent company.

The Spanish company Inditex employs 2,000 people in Belgium who work in the stores of its fast-fashion daughter companies, such as Zara, Zara Home, Berschka, Pull & Bear and the more upscale Massimo Dutti.

Unions representing workers at those companies are set to begin wage negotiations with Inditex this Friday. This morning’s protests were meant to send a signal to Inditex management ahead of those negotiations, said Jalil Bourhidane, permanent trade secretary at the Christian union ACV. 

“We will be accompanied by colleagues from Germany, France and Luxemburg because negotiations will also kick off in these countries,” Bourhidane told Bruzz.

The union is demanding more transparent wage policies, monthly overtime payments and for salaries to be increased above the minimum wage. They also want Inditex to stop giving “precarious” contracts to workers.

Inditex is one of the world’s largest fashion retailers. Amancio Ortega, the founder of the company, is the sixth-richest person in the world according to Bloomberg.

Photo: Facebook page ACV Puls Vakbond