Burberry clothing sells on its British quality, and the Treorchy factory has been making its garments for 20 years. The management has decided to close the factory, throwing its 280 workers out of work. Their garments will be made instead in Asia, under sweat-shop conditions. The savings to Burberry will be made at the expense of workers in the UK who lose their jobs, but also by exploiting the workers who will produce them abroad. Chinese workers have no unions and work under repressive labour laws, little regard for safe working conditions, long hours and lousy low pay.

Workers from Treorchy in South Wales were in London on Saturday 27 January to demonstrate outside the Bond St and Regent St Burberry shops. They were supported by a team from 'No Sweat', "an activist, campaigning organisation, fighting sweatshop bosses, in solidarity with workers, worldwide" ( http://www.nosweat.org.uk), dressed as removal men, who attempted to wrap the shops and workers in brown paper and ship them, second class, to China.

Police made the demonstrators remove posters from the windows but otherwise stood and watched. Some were obviously amused by the removal men, and some also made clear their sympathy with the Welsh workers.

More pictures from the event on My London Diary ( http://mylondondiary.co.uk) later in the week.