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Garment workers in Leicester paid less than 3 pounds per hour

Usually images of China, India or Bangladesh come to mind when one
thinks of garment workers working long hours in dangerous conditions
for little compensation in return. However, a recent study from the
University of Leicester has found that thousands of garment workers in
the city, which is also known as the UK’s largest garment sourcing
hub, are paid less than half the minimum wage.

Over 2,500 garment workers in the city reportedly earn 3 pounds an
hour – the current minimum wage for those over the age of 21 is 6.50
pounds an hour. The Ethical Trading Initiative (ETI), who originally
commissioned the report, ‘A New Industry on a Skewed Playing Field:
Supply Chain Relations and Working Conditions in UK Garment
Manufacturing,’ called the situation was “deeply disturbing.”

Garment workers in Leicester earn less than half of the National
Minimum wage per hour

The study, which was conducted over a period of six months and
gathered data from both interviews and surveys, found that only 20
percent of the 3,000 garment employees, of which the majority were
female, earned the National Minimum Wage. The garment workers are paid
cash-in-hand and usually did not have official employment contracts,
which meant they could easily be exploited, added the report.

The study also uncovered several cases in which garment workers were
paid the same hourly fee that they make get in their home-country of
origin. One worker who was interviewed by the University previously
worked at a factory in Gujarat, India, earning approximately 3,000
rupees a month. They said they were lured in with an offer of 3,000
rupees a week, which is equal to 30 pounds.

A number of garment workers also reported concerns regarding health
issues, inadequate health and safety standards as well as verbal abuse
on the factory floor, bullying, threats and cases of humiliations.
“Probably unsurprisingly, the largest segment working under these
conditions is made up by female workers,” commented Dr. Nikolaus
Hammer, lead author of the study.

“What is more surprising is that the majority of them have been in the
UK for more than 10 years, hold either British citizenship or have
leave to remain and right to work status. We have conducted a small
scale survey amongst garment workers and had 70 percent of them saying
that they speak English, only with difficulties. This explains why
they work in this sector – language skills are not central, and
amongst other reasons, it also explains why they find it difficult to
switch to other sectors,” he added.

Garment workers who suffer the most are mainly female workers
with a poor grasp of English

Dr.Hammer stressed that these poor working conditions pull many
workers and their families into in-work poverty. He points out that
the low wages and working conditions enforced by some garment
factories also threaten the work of other apparel companies who comply
with existing laws regarding employment and pay.

“These firms face big problems as they find themselves undercut by
competitors who can produce at less than half the legal wage rate, and
we know that wages constitute the key cost in apparel manufacturing,”
which in the end negatively hits the apparel’s section long-term
sustainability.

Debbie Coulter, ETI Head of Programmes, noted that conditions
experienced by the garments workers was poor. “It’s never a label
that’s used by us in the UK or European context particularly, but I
think people would see it as a sweatshop environment,” she said to the
Leicester Mercury. Following the reports publication the ETI plans to
work with a number of agencies within the industry to combat such
issues by introducing proper management, human resource departments
and unionising the work force.

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Factory conditions in Leicester compared to a “sweatshop environment”

“Leicester is an important manufacturing centre for many fashion
brands and retailers and is part of a re-emergence in UK textiles
manufacturing. We know there are good business practices within some
parts of the sector, but this research has also found evidence of
serious and endemic labour rights issues. These are serious issues
that need to be addressed with urgency, if this sector is going to
thrive and prosper.”

The report also found that the manufacturing sector is growing in the
UK once more, after decades of decline, with its value increasing by
14 percent in the East Midlands between 2008 and 2012. “We strongly
support continued growth within Leicester’s garment and textiles
sector. But this needs to be based on working conditions that, at the
very least, meet the legal minimum,” added Coulter.

“We’re pleased to be leading this programme, which brings together
responsible brands and retailers, trade unions, NGOs and other
stakeholders with a vested interest in Leicester. This group is
committed to doing what is within its power to help strengthen the
sector, but we will need the support of all stakeholders in order to
realise the change that needs to take place.”

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