Thai garment workers win $8.3M in back pay after layoffs

By ANNE D’INNOCENZIO
AP Retail Writer

NEW YORK (AP) — More than 1,250 Thai workers who sewed bras for brands Victoria’s Secret, Lane Bryant and Torrid — and who were laid off last year without their legally required severance — have received 281 million baht ($8.3 million) in compensation. That’s according to worker rights groups Solidarity Center and the Worker Rights Consortium. The compensation will be financed by Victoria’s Secret via a loan arrangement with the workers’ former employer, and comes after a 13-month effort. The workers are represented by the Triumph International Union, which is affiliated with the Confederation of Industrial Labour of Thailand. The Solidarity Center said it was the largest settlement related to wage theft at a garment factory.