Shein, a prominent fast-fashion online retailer planning a London listing, faces a crucial UK hearing on worker rights on January 7. A British parliamentary committee plans to interrogate the company, founded in China in 2008, regarding its supply chain labor practices.
The inquiry, led by the Business and Trade Committee and former Labour minister Liam Byrne, will also question Temu, an online marketplace owned by China’s PDD Holdings. The committee’s review of the government’s employment rights bill considers protections for British workers and import labor standards, addressing concerns like forced labor.
Shein’s EMEA general counsel, Yinan Zhu, and Temu’s legal and compliance executives, Stephen Heary and Leonard Klenner, are summoned as witnesses. While Shein refrained from commenting, both companies have faced allegations of poor working practices in China. Shein and Temu assert zero-tolerance for forced labor rights violations.
(With inputs from agencies.)