- On 21 April, Clean Clothes Campaign (CCC) and four individual Levi’s consumers filed a legal case for violations of consumer law against the Dutch and Belgian subsidiaries of Levi’s in the Netherlands. The case alleges poor working conditions and freedom of association violations at its supplier factory – Özak in Türkiye.
- The case is supported by SOMO.
- This alert is based on the NGOs’ press releases only. Original complaint documents were not identified.
Case background
- After the February 2023 earthquake in south-eastern Turkey, working conditions at Özak factory reportedly deteriorated, with workers experiencing extremely long working days, insufficient leave, poor working conditions and food, and no sufficient responses to complaints regarding leave or pay rises.
- As a result, many workers joined the BİRTEK-SEN union in November 2023. The factory then dismissed a union-affiliated worker, leading to strikes by hundreds of workers during which government security forces reportedly fired tear gas, and beat and detained workers. Over 400 workers were subsequently dismissed, allegedly in retaliation for union activity.
- The union and CCC have since engaged Levi’s on worker compensation, noting that it is the sole buyer of the factory with significant leverage.
- CCC launched a campaign in the Netherlands in 2025 to highlight the circumstances.
Complaint
- The plaintiffs allege Levi’s made misleading claims that its jeans are “responsibly made”, and that Levi’s has a “zero tolerance” policy for serious violations of labour rights, which requires intervention and termination of business relationships.
- The press releases do not cite specific statements, policies or guidelines, but SOMO notes that several misleading statements were removed following a demand letter issued in March.
- CCC is demanding
- acknowledgment that Levi’s statements were misleading
- Levi’s will not make similar claims in the future
- a public retraction of misleading statements
- compensation for dismissed workers.
- CCC is crowdfunding to support the case. Funds will cover legal costs, follow up actions (including campaigns), and potential cases against other companies for similar alleged violations.
Additional context
- Freedom of association risks in Türkiye have also been flagged in other recent litigation. On 12 March, the Paris Commercial Court found Yves Rocher in breach of the Duty of Vigilance Law for the dismissal of unionised workers at its Turkish subsidiary. The Court noted that the company should have been aware of risks of these violations in Türkiye and taken steps to prevent and mitigate harm.
- ADA, our comprehensive risk mapping tool for the garment sector, rates freedom of association as medium risk in Türkiye’s garment sector, highlighting widespread dismissals of trade union members, threats and use of violence in some instances.