A Turkish garment workers' union is escalating pressure on H&M Group and Inditex, alleging that the retail giants turned a blind eye to union-busting at one of their shared suppliers—a move that threatens the credibility of their global labor commitments. The accusations, leveled by Öz İplik-İş, an affiliate of IndustriALL Global Union, center on Eroğlu Giyim, a denim manufacturer that also owns the Turkish brands Colin's and Loft. The union claims that the company's tactics—ranging from factory closures to intimidation during a legal strike—were designed to strip workers of their collective bargaining rights, all while the brands looked on without intervening. The dispute has unfolded against a backdrop of shifting production, with Eroğlu Giyim opening new facilities in Egypt's Suez Canal Economic Zone, where labor costs are lower and unions are absent. That move, the union says, is part of a broader strategy to escape organized labor, and the brands' inaction only encourages it. For the workers left behind, the consequences are stark—hundreds have lost jobs, and those who remain face mounting pressure to abandon their union. Main Developments The union's complaint centers on a series of events that began with the closure of two of Eroğlu Giyim's three Turkish factories. The Aksaray plant shut down in 2025, followed by the Çorlu facility in 2026, eliminating roughly 3,200 jobs. These closures, the union alleges, were timed to sideline its presence, leaving only the Istanbul site operational with about 300 employees, half of whom were union members on the production floor. Read also: Why Havaianas' Kitten Heel Flip-Flop Is a Fashion Statement When Öz İplik-İş called a strike on April 30, after completing all legal prerequisites under Turkish law, factory management brought in a notary public and warned workers they would be fired if they stepped outside to join the demonstration, according to Rafi Ay, the union's general president. "They cut communication with our members, so we were not able to communicate with them," Ay said through a translator. "And then they stopped talking to us. Repeated calls for dialogue and negotiations remained unanswered." That intimidation, Ay said, kept workers from participating in the monthlong strike, which also took place outside stores. Under Turkish labor law, a legal strike requires active worker participation to be validated. Because workers stayed inside, the Labor Ministry questioned the union's majority status and eventually revoked its collective bargaining authorization. Eroğlu Giyim also pursued administrative challenges through the Turkish Employment Agency, İŞKUR, to dispute the union's standing. Ay says the union held joint calls with H&M Group and Inditex to remind them of their obligations under global framework agreements with IndustriALL, which include respect for freedom of association and collective bargaining. The brands replied that they would "look into it" and speak with management, but Ay says they took no concrete action and never intervened. H&M Group later said it takes the allegations "very seriously" and continues to work with Eroğlu Giyim, though it did not elaborate on any corrective steps. The closures and the intimidation tactics, Ay argues, are part of a calculated effort to shift production to Egypt, where the company has invested millions in new export-oriented facilities. "The system here works like this: the Istanbul office handles all the orders—even for Egypt—managing design, modeling and operations before sending everything to the Egyptian factories," he explained. "Because of this, management simply doesn't want to pay these workers higher wages. It's the classic employer mentality to avoid unions." For workers who lost their jobs, the impact is immediate and personal. Zeynep, a pseudonym used to protect her from retaliation, stitched jeans for 15 years at the Aksaray plant before it closed without warning eight months ago. Now 40, she faces age discrimination from other garment factories in the region, many of which refuse to hire workers her age or older. After a brief three-month stint at a manufacturer that withheld her salary, she has remained unemployed, maxed out her credit cards, and struggles to afford food and rent—while dreading the cost of her child's upcoming wedding. Background Eroğlu Giyim is a significant player in Turkey's garment industry, producing denim for global brands while also owning retail labels Colin's and Loft. The company has been a supplier to both H&M and Inditex, which have publicly committed to upholding labor rights in their supply chains. These commitments are formalized through global framework agreements with IndustriALL Global Union, which require respect for freedom of association and collective bargaining. Turkey's labor law provides a legal framework for unionization and strikes, but unions often face hurdles in practice. In this case, the law requires active worker participation for a stri