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Action demanded against Leicester manufacturers failing to pay workers the National Living Wage

By Vivian Hendriksz

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Business

London - Channel 4's latest Dispatch, which undercovered a group of Leicester manufacturers supplying garments to River Island, New Look, Boohoo and Missguided were paying workers less than half the National Living Wage, has attracted much commentary.

Although it is not the first time an investigation has shown workers working in Leicester, the UK's largest garment sourcing hub, are paid are little as 3 pounds an hour - half of the minimum wage - the findings still took the UK fashion industry by surprise.

During the programme, which aired earlier this week, footage showed a number of health and safety hazardous occurring in the suppliers factories as well. Professor Richard Booth, a health and safety expert, with over 40 years experience, watched the footage and raised concerns with what would happen in the event of a fire in the factories. “What people don’t appreciate is that fires happen very very rapidly, there’s a smoke build up, there’s a low ceiling, the people are partly panicking and the doors open the wrong way anyway.”

In one scene, there is a factory worker seen smoking on the work floor, an action which shocked Professor Booth. “That was the most remarkable sight on the video, I mean an absolute disgrace and he was walking around dropping ash in the main area where all the fabrics were being retained.” Since the programme aired one of the garment firms featured in the investigation, TS Knitwear, has committed to halting all outsourcing to other factories following allegations that workers were severely underpaid and lost New Look as a client.

In addition, New Look, Boohoo and River Island have responded to the allegations made, stating that they have stopped working with the manufacturers in questions because they failed to meet their standards and pass all audits. The suppliers were also banned from subcontracting orders out to other factories according to the fashion retailers, but reportedly ignored the order. Missguided halted production with the factory in question, United Creations, immediately following the show and said it was “committed to achieving the standards set by the Ethical Trading Initiative and conduct regular audits and spot-checks of our supply chain.”

River Island and New Look are members of the Ethical Trading Initiative (ETI), which is now calling on numerous agencies, including the Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority (GLAA), the Health and Safety Executive, HM Revenue and Customs, as well as retailers, unions and NGOs to come together and take action to protect the Leicester garment workers now. “Leicester is important. It is a major part of the re-emergence of UK garment manufacturing. We know there are good business practices within some parts of the sector, but very low wages and poor working conditions remain, are completely unacceptable and must be addressed,” said Debbie Coulter, a ETI spokesperson.

“ETI understands that its members, River Island and New Look, whose garments were filmed by Dispatches, had previously acted to address issues. Leicester is booming, but it is booming primarily on the back of a growing band of start-up very low-cost etailers and Cash and Carry merchandisers supplying market traders and cheap high street independent stores. The latter in particular often work with unscrupulous manufacturers and have little regard for the workers who make their clothes.” Coulter added that the “full force of the law should be applied,” as the investigation made it clear a some local factory owners were taking advantage of vulnerable groups.

“The situation is so grave in Leicester – with wages hardly wages at all, and sometimes appalling health and safety violations – that responsible retailers must now consider how they conduct their business in the city.”

Photos: ETI

Boohoo
leicester garment
Missguided
New Look
River Island