Fortnum & Mason has announced profits of £9.6m, buoyed by the sales of its loose leaf tea from Assam (Calming cuppa lifts fortunes for Fortnum & Mason, 30 November). At the same time, women in Assam are being paid less than £1.90 (167 rupees) a day to pick tea.
If Fortnum’s wants better conditions for tea workers, it needs to follow the example of Yorkshire Tea and publish the list of the estates it buys from. And it needs to send a signal to suppliers in Assam that it would welcome a significant wage increase for workers.
In selling “single-estate” tea from Assam, Fortnum’s has taken the first step towards full transparency. Now is its chance to take a leadership role and call for a decent living wage for all tea workers in Assam.
Fiona Gooch
Traidcraft Exchange
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