Campaigners from the charity ActionAid are slipping a secret message into thousands of items of clothing at ASDA stores around the country to highlight the company’s lamentable record on paying poverty wages to factory workers in developing countries.

The secret messages will be placed in clothes’ pockets and any customer who finds them will automatically receive an ActionAid t-shirt and entry into a prize draw to win fair trade food and clothing. They’ll also be invited to send a message to the head of ASDA to demand an improvement in workers' pay.

The campaign, which starts today, will take place in ASDA shops in most major cities including London, Birmingham, Manchester and Edinburgh. Campaigners will keep on placing the secret messages at ASDA stores every month until the company agrees to pay more to garment workers.

Emily Armistead, who is heading the team of campaigners, said:

"ASDA aren’t the family-friendly business they make themselves out to be. There’s a dark side to this company which is the way they treat the workers who actually make the clothes they sell. The women who work in factories in India, Bangladesh and other Asian countries struggle to feed their families despite working long hours in terrible conditions.

"When it comes to changing this situation, ASDA is dragging its heels. So it’s time for us to sneak this message directly to consumers right under ASDA’s nose. We want to see fashion made fair, and we believe the British public agrees with us.

"ActionAid insists that paying workers more does not mean the British consumer will be out of pocket. The charity’s research found that paying a decent wage would cost ASDA an extra two pence on a £4 t-shirt. The company is part of the US Wal-Mart group which makes £45m profit each day.

Armistead said:

"ASDA wants to be the UK’s number one cheap fashion retailer but it’s falling behind in the way it treats its workers. Its competitors are making a real effort to improve pay and conditions but ASDA is resorting to PR gimmicks rather than making real progress.

"It’s very simple – by paying just a tiny amount extra for each item of clothing ASDA can ensure it pays workers a living wage."

ActionAid is part of a new coalition – The Asia Floor Wage – which is demanding a living wage for garment workers across the whole Asian continent. By uniting across borders around a common wage level, garment workers in Asia are challenging the power of multinational fashion retailers.

The ActionAid secret messages are made from the same material as clothing labels, so they won’t run or damage clothes if the shopper doesn’t find the label and puts it through the wash.