Commons Sense

House of Commons · General Debate

Fashion Supply Chain (Code and Adjudicator)

13 July 2022 · 1 other contributor

Opened by Liz Twist Lab Blaydon and Consett

Migrants & BordersEmploymentEnvironment

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Liz Twist raised concerns about fashion supply chain (code and adjudicator) in the House of Commons. Other MPs contributed to the debate.

Key points

  • The covid-19 pandemic caused major disruptions in the retail sector, leading to cancelled orders and delayed payments from retailers to suppliers.
  • Retail sector disruptions led to worker exploitation and unsafe working conditions, including low wages and forced labor in Leicester garment factories.
  • Millions of workers, predominantly women, in countries like Bangladesh and Cambodia became destitute due to suppliers' inability to pay living wages.

How the debate unfolded

MPs spoke in turn to share their views and ask questions. Here's what each person said.

Opened the debate

Liz Twist Lab Blaydon and Consett

The covid-19 pandemic saw major disruption within the retail sector. As shops shut, retailers cancelled orders from suppliers, refused to pay for goods already in production or in process, delayed payments by long periods and demanded reductions in price for clothes that had already been shipped. Meanwhile, issues of worker exploitation and covid-unsafe working environments made their way into the headlines. In June 2020, workers in Leicester garment factories were found to have been paid as little as £3 an hour and were alleged to have been trafficked, to have been forced to go to work despite testing positive for covid-19 and to have been involved in furlough fraud. The revelations about working conditions were not confined to the UK: 2020 saw millions of workers—largely women—made destitute in Bangladesh, Cambodia, Myanmar, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Vietnam as suppliers were forced to lay off workers and were unable to pay living wages.

Other contributors (1)
  • Liz Twist Lab Blaydon and Consett

    The Government need to consult on what is included in the statutory code. It should include the principle of fair dealing to enable suppliers to act with certainty, and it should replicate the characteristics of the Groceries Code Adjudicator. These measures are necessary to break the climate of fear that has thus far prevented suppliers from challenging retailers.

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