Exploitation in the garment industry is a global problem. Reports demonstrate that workers in Bangladesh are the lowest paid in the world and often earn less than the minimum wage set by the government in Bangladesh.  

Fashion retailers have a corporate social responsibility to ensure that there is equal treatment amongst the supply chain; however, they do not always comply. Factories will frequently overwork their employees in order to gain profit quickly. The Conscious Challenge campaign mentions that “94% of Cambodian factories” looked into breaches of overtime regulations and found that “a factory dismissed 40 workers for refusing to do overtime work”.  

According to Human Rights Watch, clothes that are produced in Asia, Eastern Europe, and other parts of the world “find their way” to stores in countries such as the US and Canada, so the issue is not localised. The problems within the garment industry create the foundation for labour abuse and discrimination—for example, factory owners firing pregnant women or denying their maternity leave.  

Furthermore, the current pandemic has impacted the global supply chains by causing a suspension in production, consequently impacting workers. Millions of garment workers, especially in Asia, have lost their jobs due to this pandemic. According to CARE, a global organisation aiming to “save lives, defeat poverty and achieve social justice,” the numbers of fired or suspended workers “will continue to increase” amidst the pandemic. This organisation has also called on the garment industry to ensure the protection of women’s rights in particular during the global health crisis.    

INTERNATIONAL MECHANISMS TO ADDRESS GARMENT INDUSTRY CHALLENGES 

The Bangladesh Accord was set up as a result of the tragic building collapse in Bangladesh’s Rana Plaza on 24 April 2013 that resulted in the deaths of 1,100 garment workers and injured around 2,000 additional workers. This is a legally-binding agreement among workers, managers, and clothing companies that sets forth factory inspection standards as well as complaint mechanisms for violations, among other workplace protections. The International Labour Organisation (ILO) also set up a working group that brings together retailers, factory owners, and workers in order to try address the COVID- 19 crisis on the clothing manufacturing industry with transparency. Each of these tools should be used to improve the conditions that garment industry workers face.

The ILO’s “COVID-19: Action in the Global Garment Industry” calls for there to be a more “just and resilient” industry. In addition to this, in 2016, Human Rights Watch, alongside eight international labour groups, developed the Transparency Pledge where brands can publish a list of factories that manufacture their products, which could be a “powerful tool” in tackling the labour abuses.   

PROBLEMS IN LEICESTER UK

An example of the above issues is reflected through the violations occurring in the factories in Leicester. An investigation by the Sunday Times revealed that the fashion retailer Boohoo paid some workers in this UK city just £3.50 an hour. 

Vidhatri Mattey went undercover in Leicester for the Times at one of the factories and reported his experience. He stated in his report that the boss informed him that his pay would be decided depending on how he worked. Being paid £3.50 an hour is clearly far below the UK minimum wage, which is currently at £8.72 for workers over 25-years-old. At the same time, Mattey was not offered any protective equipment in light of the current pandemic. The factory investigated displayed the sign “Jaswal Fashions” and was operating during the localised lockdown. The worker’s rights group Labour Behind the Labour also claimed in a separate matter that some of the Leicester factory employees had been “forced to come into work while sick with COVID-19”.  

UK GOVERNMENT RESPONSE TO THE GARMENT WORKER CRISIS 

The UK Health Secretary, Matt Hancock, expressed his concern about the working practices in the Leicester clothing factories. He stated that “there are clearly some problems that have been under the radar” and require action.     

Priti Patel, the Home Secretary, also asked the National Crime Agency (NCA) to investigate modern slavery claims in the factories and stated that the conditions in the Leicester factories were “truly appalling”. The NCA are investigating the exploitation allegations, with NCA officers having visited various businesses in Leicester to investigate the “concerns of modern slavery and human trafficking”. 

According to the Guardian, labour rights groups have stated that “lessons must be learned from Leicester,” and that “adequate funding” must be prioritised. Dozens of MPs have written a letter to Home Secretary Patel, “urging her to do more” in preventing the exploitation of the garment workers. The letter was signed by investors, retailers, and charities; it claims that “’thousands more’ workers could be exploited without stronger government action”. The authors’ goals are to protect workers from mistreatment and ultimately drive the introduction of statutory licenses for garment factories, which would enforce the factories’ legal obligations to employees. The issues in Leicester represent only one of the many, localised examples of the rampant garment industry abuse around the world

Shivani is currently studying the LPC at the University of Law. She thoroughly enjoyed studying international human rights law during her final year at university and hopes to pursue a career in this field. 

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