Zara’s working conditions made headlines in Sweden: “I cry every day” – 2024-04-13 17:13:09

The working conditions of the Zara clothing chain speak volumes in neighboring Sweden. AOP

Bullying, timed toilet breaks, fake complaints and prison-like conditions. Zara, a clothing store specializing in fast fashion, is accused of poor working conditions in Sweden.

Spanish clothing giant Zara has made headlines in Sweden for poor working conditions. Aftonbladet interviewed 39 employees of the company’s clothing store. Those who worked in the company tell the harsh truth about the employees’ everyday life.

People who worked in the company say, for example, that in the clothing packaging department there was a square with a side dimension of 50 centimeters demarcated on the floor with attention tape, where the employee had to stand during his turn.

Another employee tells about going to the bathroom being pushed. After the visit, the supervisor had followed up the visits.

– You’ve been to the toilet quite a few times, what’s really going on here, asked the supervisor after going to the toilet, the employee says in an interview.

The person who appeared as Sonja in the interview says that she arrived from the toilet “late”.

– I was a minute too long in the toilet and people ran up to me and asked why I was a minute late. The workplace sometimes feels like a prison, Sonja tells the magazine.

In Sweden, problems have also been reported with salary payments. Many interviewed employees said that salaries were repeatedly paid too little. Work time records also had to be done with a pencil.

Many of the employees said that they cry every day at work and have panic attacks.

Zara is owned by the Inditex company, which operates from Spain. Aftonbladet says that after long investigations, it received an email response from the company, in which the problem of poor treatment of employees was not identified.

– At Inditex, we believe in the power of a diverse and inclusive work community to create a strong corporate culture, the answer said.

There have been reports of bad conditions in Finland

Zara’s working conditions have previously also made headlines in Finland. Yle reported at the end of 2023 that questions have been raised about the company’s working conditions.

The employees had heard shouting, barking and threats.

– Zara exploits its employees. New nice guys keep coming here. Then they burn out and fade away. This is a sad place to start working life, Zara warehouse worker Pull Pinarli told Yle about the end of the year.

Last fall, the Regional Administrative Agency conducted an inspection of the company’s offices in Finland. In the inspection, illegal deficiencies were found in the working conditions. In addition, working in the company’s stores put a significant strain on the employees’ health.

Iltalehti tried to get Zara’s Finnish personnel to comment on the current situation in Finland.

Iltalehti contacted Zara’s communications representative in Sweden, who was advised to address the media’s questions directly to the parent company Inditex. A number with a Spanish area code was answered, but the call was disconnected after a press interview request was made. Iltalehti did not receive a reply to the e-mail message.