Retail body accuses government on inaction on garment worker abuse
The trade body for the UK retail sector has said that the government has carried out no “significant action” to protect textile workers from exploitaiton.
In a letter to home secretary Priti Patel, the British Retail Consortium (BRC) said: “Despite numerous reports in the media, and a previous letter to the home secretary signed by over 50 MPs and peers and more than 40 retailers, investors and NGOs, we have not seen any significant action from government to bring this injustice to an end.”
The letter, seen by City PM, said that garment makers had lost a combined £27m in wages since July.
Retailers such as Marks & Spencer and Asos, as well as human rights groups and MPs, first wrote to the government back in July after a Sunday Times investigation into working practices in garment factories in Leicester.
Employees at fast fashion giant Boohoo were found to be being paid below the minimum wage and were being made to work without coronavirus precautions in place.
At the time, the group urged ministers to implement a “fit to trade” scheme to iron out such abuses.
However, although it said it had discussed the problems with officials, the BRC is yet to receive an official response to its letter.
The second letter was co-signed by Dr Lisa Cameron, the chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Textiles & Fashion.
She said: “It is vital the home secretary takes action to introduce a licensing scheme for UK garment manufacturers and puts the rights of workers at the heart of the industry.”
In response, the Home Office said: “Exploiting vulnerable workers for commercial gain is despicable and we expect businesses to do all they can to tackle abuse and exploitation in their supply chains.
“We are deeply concerned by the appalling reports of illegal and unsafe working conditions for garment workers in Leicester, and will ensure perpetrators face the full force of the law if evidence comes to light through the work of our new specialist Taskforce, led by the Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority.”
The Environmental Audit Committee (EAC) last week launched a follow-up inquiry into sustainability and working conditions within the fashion industry.