Global brands, global exploitation | Thailand

A small Thai factory without a name, more of a room than anything else, few windows, a ceiling low enough that those inside could touch it, toilets too dirty to use, one door at the front, another at the back providing the only fresh air, and no electric fans to cool temperatures of up to 37 degrees Celsius (100F). This is the setting where 26 garment workers spent seven days a week earning well below the minimum wage of 310 baht ($10.15), making clothes for some of the world’s biggest companies: Disney, Starbucks, NBC Universal and Tesco.

The factory, referred to as Kanlayanee after the owner Kanlayanee Ruengrit, was based in the Mae Sot region of Thailand, close to the border with Myanmar. The region is a well-known regulatory black hole where exploitation is rife and many garment factories operate uninspected, with sub-contracting a regular occurrence. Over 44,500 workers are…