ANOTHER three employees have resigned from the Gucci flagship store in Luohu District as the city labor department continues an investigation into allegations of mistreatment.

    The three former employees, who followed the resignation of five employees and the replacement of the store’s management team, complained to yesterday’s Guangzhou Daily that Gucci China had failed to improve their working conditions even though it was under investigation.

    One of the three employees who resigned, Su, said Gucci China was not being “sincere” in efforts to resolve the dispute.

    Su said that the manager who was dismissed according to Gucci China’s statement issued last week had been fired in April last year and the current manager was still working. “Gucci China is cheating the public and is not at all sincere,” said Su.

    In March, five former employees of the Italian fashion brand’s store in The Mixc complained to the district’s human resources bureau that management had imposed unreasonable conditions on their employment.

    They said they had to get permission from their managers before they could take a drink of water or go to the restroom. They claimed they had to stand for more than 10 hours a day without a break and often had to stay even later, checking inventory until 2 or 3 a.m.

    They said the company did not pay overtime and a pregnant colleague had even suffered a miscarriage because of the “inhuman” working conditions.

    Last month, the five employees posted online an open letter to the senior management of the Shanghai-based Gucci China, complaining about the company’s sweatshop conditions in Shenzhen.

    Last week, Gucci China said in a statement that it had fired senior managers and the store’s assistant manager, made changes to its store management training, and set up a “confidential communications channel” through which employees could make managers aware of what was happening on the ground.

    After the publicity, the store had reduced their working hours, but they still had to work until 10 to 11 p.m., according to Su.

    She revealed that since the city labor department began investigating the store, Gucci China had arranged training for employees on how to respond to the authority’s questions.

    The Shenzhen federation of trade unions called Gucci China management last week, expressing the hope that Gucci China could set up a more humane management system with more care and respect for employees. In addition, it hoped Gucci China would support employees to set up a trade union.

    On Monday, the federation arranged a meeting with the former employees, Gucci representatives and lawyers to discuss compensation issues.

    The city labor department would announce the results of its investigation in two months.

    (Cao Zhen)