Working conditions and protective measures in multinational companies during the pandemic: The case of Inditex

The Covid-19 pandemic has deeply affected working life. Workers who have to earn money to proceed with their lives have had to work during this time, even if they did not want to do so. Consequently, the question of whether adequate protective measures have been taken in the workplace for workers who have had to work during the pandemic is a critical one. In this article, the measures taken especially in respect of employees of multinational companies are examined in view of a survey of employees of Inditex, the Spanish ‘fast fashion’ company. Following a review of the literature on the place of multinational companies, along with their supply chains, in the engine room of global capitalism and on research into the working conditions of shopping mall employees, setting an appropriate context for the survey findings, the article explores what the findings reveal. Malls might well be new venues of insecurity in terms of the threat posed to the need for workplaces to be safe and secure for employees, but Covid-19 has ruthlessly exposed both the lack of protection and the risks which workers in such environments face on a day-to-day basis.