Response to Sunday Times article

ETI statement in response to Ugly low-pay truth of high street fashion, 31 Jan

ETI believes all workers deserve a living wage, which the ETI Base Code defines as "enough to meet basic needs and to provide some discretionary income". Yet the deplorable reality is that low wages remain a fact of life for many garment workers in Sri Lanka and elsewhere. In many countries there is a huge gulf between the Base Code standard and the reality on the ground.

Given the scale of this challenge, and the size and complexity of major retailers' global supply chains, we expect our members to work toward implementing the standards enshrined in the Base Code progressively over time. For us, the litmus test is whether a company can demonstrate year-on-year progress in improving standards across its supply chain.

Far from considering Marks & Spencer, Next, Tesco and Asda to be in breach of their ETI membership obligations, we consider these companies to be at the forefront of good practice in their retail sector, demonstrating real achievement in many key areas of ethical trade.

As members of ETI, these companies are doing more than many to take responsibility for the welfare of workers in their supply chains. They have made their ethical trade activities accountable to trade unions and NGOs and have consistently shown that they are committed to acting swiftly to address serious breaches of the Base Code where they arise.

No company has got it completely right. While there is an ongoing debate about the definition of a living wage and how it should be applied, what is clear is that the poorest-paid workers are saying that they are struggling to meet basic needs. For those at the bottom rung of the ladder, even the efforts of the most responsible retailers are not yet good enough.

Over the next two years ETI is determined to raise the bar, supporting our members to take a leap forward in ethical trade, with a particular focus on urgent collective action to drive up wages.