Researchers have come up with nine ways that Britain’s garment factory bosses can ensure they are doing the right thing when it comes to workers’ rights.
Experts from the University of Nottingham’s Rights Lab and De Montfort University, Leicester, were commissioned by the Garment & Textile Workers Trust (G&TWT) to talk to people working in the sector about the issues they face.
They have come up with a series of recommendations in a report which will inform the trust’s priorities for the coming year.
They include priority areas for major retailers and government agencies to focus on to improve workers’ lives and working conditions.
It follows years of revelations about some factory bosses in cities including Leicester forcing people – who often don’t have English as a first language – to work in poor conditions for below the minimum pay.
Some of the products they have made have reportedly found their ways onto the websites of some of the country’s biggest fashion retailers.
For the research Leicester workers completed anonymous questionnaires or interviews about their experiences of working in the garment sector and their ideas of how people's working lives can be improved.
Many workers identified limited employment options, due to a lack of qualifications and job search skills, proficiency in English and – particularly for women – cultural expectations associated with family and childcare duties.
They also expressed a wish to pursue additional training, particularly in relation to English language skills, IT skills, and practical topics such as first aid.
The report says anti-exploitation measures have proved ineffective due to the isolation of workers, low expectations concerning the impact of raising concerns, and insufficient agency collaboration at local level.
It said employers are also tempted to exploit workers due to uncertainty about the financial returns possible within an ethical business model and a ready supply of workers with limited options.
Dr Alison Gardner, lead researcher from the Rights Lab at the University of Nottingham, said: “Garment workers told us that they want to build a beautiful future for the next generation in Leicester, but there are currently many constraints that stop them from accessing fair pay and conditions.
“Our report has added to the existing knowledge about these issues, but importantly also points to solutions suggested by workers themselves.
“We hope that the interventions outlined in our report can help to guide both local and national-level action in the years ahead.”
Dave Walsh, professor in criminal investigation at the School of Law at De Montfort University, said: “Economic pressures on small business in the garment industry in Leicester may well contribute to continued exploitation of workers.
“In turn, we have learned that while workers tend to know their rights they report feeling powerless.
“As such, there may well be opportunities for community leaders and outreach workers to represent these workers so that they receive a decent wage and help them overcome unethical tactics that some employers were allegedly undertaking that effectively meant people were not being paid for the work they done.
“Economic pressures on small business in the garment industry in Leicester may well contribute to continued exploitation of workers.
“In turn, we have learned that while workers tend to know their rights they report feeling powerless.
“As such, there may well be opportunities for community leaders and outreach workers to represent these workers so that they receive a decent wage and help them overcome unethical tactics that some employers were allegedly undertaking that effectively meant people were not being paid for the work they done.”
Initial funding for the Trust of £1m, donated by the boohoo group, will be funnelled through charities which are already proving to have a positive impact for garment workers and who would benefit from additional funding.
The funds will be targeted at partners that can provide training and access to free advocacy, two of the key challenges faced by those who took part in the research.
Kevin McKeever, chairman of the Garment & Textile Workers Trust, said “This research is an important addition to the body of knowledge on labour exploitation in the garment and textile industry and significant in listening to the voices of workers themselves, alongside local government and civil society.
“It’s crystal clear that there’s only so much companies, individuals, trade unions and civil society can do to tackle labour exploitation in Leicester and beyond – it’s time for government to step up and form – and fund – their long promised single enforcement body.”
