A Dutch trade union accused fashion retailer H&M and its logistics partners of shortening the rest time of warehouse employees and refused to contact workers suspected of violating local labor laws and its own policies.

Immigrant workers at the Tilburg warehouse in the Netherlands, run by GXO Logistics, which is listed in the United States, on behalf of the world’s second-largest fashion retailer, said that security protocols designed to prevent product theft are taking up their rest time.

These allegations were made as retailers race to meet demand Black friday The labor supply is tight during the Christmas peak season, and the pressure on logistics personnel is increasing.

The Dutch Federation of Trade Unions (FNV) stated that GXO’s refusal to start a dialogue on requiring employees to work six days a week led 700 workers to petition the company about working conditions, saying that their rest time has been reduced.

The union stated that the warehouse management refused to accept the petition. GXO told H&M that it will accept the petition, but it will not accept it during filming, as FNV requested.

H&M stated that it strives to act in an ethical, transparent and responsible manner and expects its partners to do the same. At the same time, it emphasizes to GXO that its commitment to sustainable development requires workers in its supply chain to enjoy freedom of association.

“We believe that as direct participants, GXO and FNV will do their best to maintain fairness, respect and constructiveness in the dialogue, and to formulate correct actions for the next step,” it said.

GXO stated that it supports the right to free assembly and resolves employee concerns through the union, an internal employee representative body. “We comply with all labor laws and policies, and the contrary allegations are wrong,” it added.

FNV stated that requiring employees to raise their concerns through the labor committee-which it believes is easily influenced by management representatives-does not comply with H&M’s own guidelines for migrant workers, which allow free association with any union.

In response to the union’s email, H&M stated that it “will take a neutral stand” because it believes that GXO’s local management is willing to accept the petition and does not deviate from the retailer’s labor relations principles and sustainability commitments.

Thulsi Narayanasamy, head of labor rights at the Business and Human Rights Resource Center, said: “H&M is not yet directly responsible to these workers as it does to apparel suppliers, even though warehouses and delivery drivers are a core part of their supply chain.”

A Slovak who works in a warehouse said that during his physically demanding eight-hour shift, he had only 35 minutes of rest time instead of 45 minutes.

“We tried to distribute the petition and go to the office. They blocked the door with security. They would not let workers in and out of the warehouse, as if we were some kind of criminals,” he said.

These workers are mainly hired through agencies and come from Poland, Bulgaria, Slovakia, Spain and Lithuania.

Aneta, who recently stopped working in the warehouse, said that the pressure has been increasing in recent months and the packaging target has risen to 250 pieces per hour.

“I’m not sure if H&M knows what happened in the warehouse,” she said. “Management told us’If H&M wants to know something, tell H&M you can’t speak English’.”

These allegations are made at a time when conditions within the multinational supply chain are under stricter scrutiny. British appliance manufacturer Dyson terminated its partnership with ATA IMS this week after a whistleblower accused the Malaysian component manufacturer of violating labor rights, while online giant Amazon faced a strike in Europe on Friday over pay and conditions .

Some governments are seeking to hold multinational companies accountable for labor issues in their supply chains. Germany passed a law in June that requires large companies to ensure that social and environmental standards are applied throughout their supply chain.