'Abused so badly they suffered miscarriages': Horrific conditions at Gucci store (where staff were told they were 'too poor' to get discount card)



Staff at Gucci's flagship store in China were 'abused so badly that some suffered miscarriages', it has been claimed.

Workers at the exclusive shop in the southern city of Shenzhen were forced to ask permission to use the toilet or drink water, work extra hours unpaid and pay for any items that were stolen from the shop.

They were also not allowed to sit down during their 14 hours shifts, and were told they were 'too poor' to get a discount card for the luxury fashion label.

Abuses: Staff at Gucci's flagship store in Shenzhen, China, are said to have been treated so badly that they suffered miscarriages. Pictured here is the fashion label's Beijing shop

The conditions they were forced to work in were revealed when five former workers wrote an open letter to Chinese newspaper Global Times.

In total, they claimed the company imposed more than 100 rules that they had to adhere to.

They claimed the company was a 'flamboyant gown' that 'hides a lot of lice' and alleged that some pregnant staff had miscarried under the strain.

Gucci said it has now 'replaced' several of its senior managers, is 'reviewing' its business practices and has set up a 'confidential communications channel' where complaints can be reported.

A spokesman said: 'Gucci does not and will not endorse or tolerate the alleged malpractices.

Conditions: Workers at the shop in Shenzhen (pictured) were, among other rules, forced to ask permission to use the toilet or drink water

'Gucci has conducted thorough investigations and has taken a series of measures, including the replacement of the concerned senior management and assistant store manager.'

The label, owned by French conglomerate Pinault-Printemps-Redoute, also said it had hired external consultants to review its business practices in China, where its website states it has 42 stores.

It also said that Gucci 'characterised' the problems as 'mismanagement of Gucci's China branch' and not failures of the brand at large.

The statement added: 'Furthermore, Gucci has pro-actively engaged external consultants to conduct a comprehensive review to support ongoing actions that can enhance our organizational structure, the welfare and training of our people, talent recruitment and retention and other business practices in China.'

The disgruntled employees were said to have asked for nearly $16,000 in unpaid wages, which was reported to have been refused.

The number of labour disputes in China has risen in recent years as workers employed in thousands of workshops and factories across the country increasingly demand better pay and conditions.