Letters: Ban the sweatshops

Sir: As the owner of a business which imports directly from South-east Asia, I make every possible effort to buy from suppliers whose factories and small industries guarantee and show me the welfare of their employees. I condemn the ruthless exploitation of cheap labour, so freely provided by economies devastated by war and political collapse.

While living in Sri Lanka, I visited several tea factories. One stood out because unlike the others it provided large, ventilated rooms with clean wooden floors and open windows. The men and women employed worked with a dedication I have rarely seen, perhaps also due to the knowledge that their children were looked after at the local school, which had been set up by their employer.

It can be done.

GABRIELLA NONINO

Richmond, Surrey