Leicester mayor Sir Peter Soulsby and Lee Barron, regional secretary of Trades Union Congress (TUC) Midlands, recently wrote to several UK fashion retailers, including Boohoo, ASOS, TK Maxx, Missguided, River Island, Next and New Look, regarding poor health and safety and employment practices amongst garment manufacturers, many of whom are based in Leicester.
In an open letter, the mayor and TUC cautioned that many companies cannot demonstrate that their products were not produced by exploited workers operating in dangerous conditions or worse by victims of modern slavery.Leicester mayor Sir Peter Soulsby and Lee Barron, regional secretary of Trades Union Congress (TUC) Midlands, recently wrote to several UK fashion retailers, including Boohoo, ASOS, TK Maxx, Missguided, River Island, Next and New Look,regarding poor health and safety and employment practices amongst garment manufacturers, many of whom are based in Leicester.#
To find a solution, the mayor will host a roundtable with retailers and unions and is encouraging all employers to sign a TUC agreement committing these retailers to procure from manufacturers who recognise and work with trade unions.
“This is not a new problem but it has been once again highlighted by recent revelations about minimum wage violations and suggestions that working conditions in the industry may have been a catalyst for the spike in COVID-19 cases in the city. We have been working for some time to tackle this challenge but it isn’t something the local authority can solve alone, nor is it Leicester’s problem alone, Sir Soulsby said.
“Some retailers have tried to put systems in place to demonstrate that they procure ethically but too many garments, manufactured by people working in terrible conditions and for poverty wages, continue to get into their supply chains,” Barron said in a press release.
“Trade unions will not only help and support their members but they can be a free and effective solution for an industry plagued by unethical employment practices. If retailers are serious about resolving this issue then we will gladly work with them to transform the industry and improve working conditions in factories in Leicester once and for all,” he added.
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