ASOS Refutes Working Conditions Concern

ASOS has refuted concerns raised by MP Owen Smith about working conditions in a South Yorkshire warehouse operated by the British brand.

"We were surprised to see these allegations from Owen given that it was the first we had heard from him and he's never been inside the warehouse," a spokesperson for ASOS told us this morning. "We work incredibly hard with XPO (the logistics company that manages the site) to create a positive, supportive, healthy working environment for the team in Barnsley. As we have now said on the record several times before - we don't do zero-hours contracts, people can take toilet and water breaks whenever they want, and we pay above minimum wage." 

The Pontypridd MP, who is opposing Jeremy Corbyn in the contest for leadership of the Labour Party, made the claims in a letter to fellow politician Ian Wright - chairman of the Business, Innovation and Skills Select Committee - likening the online fashion retailer to sportswear company Sports Direct, which was recently investigated for poor working conditions.

Smith's allegations echo those made by the GMB union - one of the biggest trade unions affiliated to the party, whose members yesterday voted to back him in the leadership race - in the past, which have been repeatedly denied by ASOS.

The brand reiterated the importance it places on creating a fair and positive working environment, citing the paid apprenticeship program that it runs in conjuction with Barnsley College and investments that it has made into the warehouse's working environment - from part-time shifts for parents and students to a £3million cooling project to regulate temperature in the summer - as two examples.