Earlier this month, Dyson quietly settled a case brought by 24 migrant workers from Bangladesh and Nepal who were trafficked into forced labor in a Malaysian electronics factory supplying the company. At first glance, this might seem far removed from the garment industry. But the case could mark a turning point for workers across global supply chains, including those making clothes for UK fashion brands. Here’s why.
The key development is not simply the settlement itself. It is that the English courts allowed the case to proceed and conclude in the UK. Dyson had argued that the claim should instead be heard in Malaysia, where the alleged abuses took place. Had that happened, the chances of the workers securing compensation would have been slim. By allowing the case to move forward in the UK and placing liability squarely on a UK-based company, the courts opened the door to a new possibility: that British firms could be held legally responsible when they fail to protect workers in their supply chains.
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The workers’ claim centered on negligence. They argued that Dyson had failed in its duty to ensure that the workers producing its goods were not subjected to forced labor. This matters because, until now, legal responsibility for labor abuses has largely stopped with the direct employer. Lead supply chain companies, including major fashion brands, have typically remained at arm’s length in UK tort law, even when their purchasing practices and supply chain oversight shape the conditions under which goods are produced.
The question as to whether a brand’s failure to act, or failure to conduct proper due diligence, could amount to negligence has barely been tested. Now it has.
If negligence can be established in supply chain cases, the implications are significant. The kinds of abuses documented in garment supply chains—wage theft, forced overtime, unsafe conditions and suppression of unions—often persist precisely because brands claim they are not responsible for what happens in the factories that produce their clothes. But negligence could apply in many of these situations.
At Labour Behind the Label, we regularly see cases where brands have been repeatedly alerted to serious labor rights violations yet fail to act. One example is the case of workers from the VK Garment factory in Thailand, who produced jeans for Tesco under conditions that amounted to forced labor. We have been supporting these workers’ in their fight for justice for more than five years. The circumstances bear striking similarities to the Dyson case. Could this ruling open a path for these workers and many others like them to seek justice through UK courts? It is too early to say what the broader impact will be. But the possibility now exists in a way it did not before.
The outcome comes at a critical moment when the UK government is considering legislation on mandatory human rights and environmental due diligence—rules that would require companies to identify and address abuses in their supply chains.
The courts may already be pointing the way. Forced labor cases are the most visible and extreme examples of abuse, but they are only the tip of the iceberg. Supply chain due diligence should also address wage violations, unsafe workplaces, restrictions on workers’ freedom of association and environmental harms. Workers should not have to bring complex international legal cases simply to receive wages they are owed or compensation for dangerous working conditions. That is why strong legislation is essential. Mandatory human rights and environmental due diligence laws must ensure that all UK companies take responsibility for the conditions under which their products are made—and that workers have access to remedy when things go wrong. The Dyson case suggests that the legal system may be beginning to recognise this responsibility. Now lawmakers must catch up.
Anna Bryher is a Director and Policy Lead at Labour Behind the Label—a UK-based human rights campaign which is fighting for a fashion industry where exploitation has no place. With over 14 years’ experience in advocacy, research, and strategic communications, Bryher has played a leading role in exposing labor rights abuses in global fashion supply chains and driving demands for stronger corporate accountability, binding regulation, and meaningful change to secure dignity and justice for garment workers.
