The government “must stop the exploitation of garment workers”

More than 50 MPs and colleagues have written to the home secretary urging her to do more to protect workers in the UK garment factory from exploitation.

It follows reports that factory personnel in Leicester are underpaid and unprotected from Covid-19.

Fast fashion brands Boohoo and Quiz were accused of using unethical vendors in the city and have since pledged to investigate.

The government said commercial exploitation was “negligible”.

The letter, which was also signed by investors, charities and retailers such as Asda and Asos, said concerns over unethical use of labor in the UK garment industry have been raised “multiple times” in the last five years by academics, retailers and parliamentarians, but little had been done.

He said that “thousands more” could be exploited without stronger government action.

“The public wants to know that the clothes they buy have been made by respected, valued and legally protected workers,” said Helen Dickinson OBE, head of the British Retail Consortium, which coordinated the letter.

Last week, Quiz said it had suspended a supplier after reports that a factory in Leicester was offering a worker just £ 3 an hour to make his clothes.

The national minimum wage for people over the age of 25 is £ 8.72 per hour.

Rival retailer Boohoo was similarly accused of using a factory that poorly paid workers, doing nothing to stop the spread of the coronavirus.

The letter urged Interior Minister Priti Patel to introduce a new licensing scheme for garment factories that:

• Protect workers from forced labor, debt bondage and abuse, as well as guaranteeing the payment of the national minimum wage and vacation pay
• Prevent dishonest companies from undermining compliant manufacturers
• And encourage retailers to source their clothing from the UK, supporting the development of an “ethical and world-leading industry”.

On Friday, Boohoo chief John Lyttle wrote to Patel urging her to adopt the proposals.

“We are taking steps to investigate allegations of malpractice in our supply chain and we ask the government to take action as well,” he said.

Both Boohoo and Quiz have said the claims made about their providers, if true, are “totally unacceptable” and have promised to take action.

‘Free from exploitation’

The National Crime Agency also confirmed that it is investigating Leicester’s textile industry on allegations of exploitation, although it did not comment specifically on Boohoo or Quiz.

Safeguard Minister Victoria Atkins said: “Exploiting vulnerable people for commercial purposes is negligible and this government will not tolerate it.”

“We hope that all companies implicated in these allegations will conduct a full and thorough investigation to ensure that their supply chains are free from labor exploitation.”

“We have contacted relevant agencies regarding alleged labor practices in garment factories in Leicester. We await the results of these investigations.”