Heart and Mind Apparel Co., Ltd.

A Worker Rights Consortium (WRC) investigation found that, at the time of its closure, Heart and Mind, a garment factory located in Nakhon Pathom, Thailand, denied 98 of its employees their legally owed severance. The factory had supplied children’s clothing to PVH Corp. (Tommy Hilfiger), El Corte Inglés, and Children Worldwide Fashion (CWF), the childrenswear licensee for Marc Jacobs International (MJI), before closing permanently on December 3, 2017.

Heart and Mind management used threats and intimidation, including locking workers inside a room to force workers to resign, thereby relinquishing their legal right to severance benefits, while paying them less than half of what they were owed under Thai law and these brands’ supplier codes of conduct.

The WRC engaged with PVH Corp. (Tommy Hilfiger), El Corte Inglés, and MJI and its licensee, CWF, to remedy this violation and collectively contribute to the workers’ severance. Marc Jacobs and its licensee, CWF, contributed funds to the former Heart and Mind workers that represented a significant portion of the severance they are owed. PVH Corp. (Tommy Hilfiger) and El Corte Inglés also made a significant contribution of funds to the former Heart and Mind workers. The workers have received US$70,000 of the total severance that is owed to them and are still owed an equivalent amount. The WRC continues to engage with buyers who sourced from the factory for further remediation.

Read More:

• Heartless at Heart and Mind: Cheated of severance, Thai workers who sewed kids’ clothes for El Corte Inglés struggle to feed and house their own children  – December 17, 2021
• Sin corazón en Heart and Mind (Corazón y Mente): Robado de su pago de indemnización, trabajadoras y trabajadores tailandeses que cosían ropa infantil para El Corte Inglés luchan por alimentar y proveer vivienda a sus propios hijos e hijas  – December 17, 2021