Ex-Debenhams workers in Bangladesh plead to be paid

The group, who say they represent 69 Debenhams colleagues and their families, were employed in the Debenhams Bangladesh Liaison Office and were involved with sourcing as part of the retailer’s Hong Kong-based operations.

The Hong Kong and Bangladesh offices, along with the Irish business, were put into liquidation after the retailer’s administration last month when the coronavirus outbreak and resulting lockdown pushed it over the edge.

In the video, the former employees say that “hunger is stronger than any pandemic”. They call on Debenhams to “please pay our rightful outstandings, for the sake of humanity” and say they are “not your liabilities, but your responsibilities”.

They say that under Bangladeshi law they are entitled to compensation including April pay and four months’ salary in lieu and that their roles have been terminated “illegally”.

A Debenhams spokesman said: “We are very sorry we have had to make this very tough decision. Our aim throughout has been to minimise job losses as far as possible.

“This is not a decision that has been taken lightly, and we recognise how difficult this is for our colleagues in Bangladesh, but it is unavoidable and reflects the exceptional circumstances we and all other businesses are now in.”

There is an employee provident fund which Debenhams paid into, which the administrator is making available to employees. It is the responsibility of the local managers to distribute and held by bank HSBC for processing.

Bangladesh has been hard hit during the Covid-19 pandemic as retailers cancelled orders as trade disappeared overnight. Many retailers have come together under the auspices of the UN’s International Labour Organisation to help suppliers through the turmoil.