YOUR article on the stockpiling of clothing being imported from China makes no reference to the fact that this clothing is made by poorly paid women workers, either in China itself or in subcontract workshops elsewhere 'Storm in a A D-cup', August 29).

So that consumers in the UK - the fifth richest economy in the world - can buy cheap clothing, these women are paid a miserable wage and required to accept conditions that are unacceptable here. The chain stores importing this clothing know that if it were made in Europe it would be more expensive because the machinists would be paid a fair wage and would rightly expect social security.

It is dishonest of people speaking for the importers to present this matter as an example of European bureaucrats trampling on the rights of consumers. It is an attempt to preserve fairly-paid jobs in Europe, and to prevent chain stores reducing prices by buying from countries that accept sweatshops and sweated labour.

British law no longer requires garments to carry the name of the country where they were made. To be sure that we - as consumers - are not party to exploiting the weak and defenceless, we need to make sure where the things we buy come from.

Maurice Vassie,

Deighton,

York.

Updated: 10:51 Wednesday, August 31, 2005