Forced-labour watchdog opens probe against Guess over possible Uyghur slave labour

Canada’s corporate watchdog is launching a probe against the company Guess over possible ties to Uyghur forced labour in China.

The ombudsperson for responsible enterprise, Sheri Meyerhoffer, says the company has not done enough to prove that it has no supply relationships with Chinese companies that source materials from factories that employ people being forced to work.

Guess disputes this claim, arguing Meyerhoffer lacks credible evidence and that the three Chinese companies she names are not part of its supplier list.

Meyerhoffer says Guess has also argued she doesn’t have jurisdiction to look into the matter, as the Canadian subsidiary is not involved in the work that occurs abroad.

The watchdog has launched similar probes this year into the Canadian branches of firms such as Levi Strauss, Walmart, Hugo Boss and Nike.

This is an excerpt from the Canadian Press article.