Commons Sense

House of Commons · Westminster Hall

Worker Exploitation: Leicester Textile Industry

18 November 2020 · 2 other contributors · 4,339 words

Opened by Liz Kendall Lab Leicester West

Responding minister: Paul Scully

Care & Healthcare WorkersEmploymentBusiness Compliance

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

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Liz Kendall raised concerns about worker exploitation: leicester textile industry in Westminster Hall. A government minister responded.

Key points

  • Concerns about worker exploitation in Leicester's textile industry have been raised by multiple sources over the past five years.
  • Boohoo, a major fashion retailer, has been found to underpay employees and neglect health and safety regulations according to a recent QC review.
  • The Government has committed to creating a new single labour market enforcement body to better protect worker rights and improve compliance in supply chains.

Key requests to Government

The Government should ensure an effective system of regulation and enforcement with sufficient resources. The Minister must commit to working with trade unions such as Community and the GMB to support positive changes needed for better workplace safety, standards, and transparency in the textile industry.

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 Kendall Lab Leicester West

There are long-standing and serious problems of workers being exploited in some textile factories in Leicester. In the last five years alone, issues have been highlighted by various sources such as the University of Leicester, BBC's Dispatches programme, Financial Times, Environmental Audit Committee, and The Sunday Times. Boohoo, a major fashion retailer based in Leicester, has been found to pay its employees less than the national minimum wage and ignore health and safety concerns on a wide scale, according to Alison Levitt's QC review published in September 2020.

Other contributors (2)
  • Catherine McKinnell Lab Newcastle upon Tyne North

    She put on record her admiration for the debate's relevance to Leicester and highlighted that the issue affects consumers across all retail sectors who purchase goods manufactured in conditions where worker exploitation may occur.

  • Claudia Webbe Lab Westminster North

    The Minister says that we need to learn, but while the pandemic has thrown the crisis into sharper light, exploitation in Leicester's textile industry is not a new phenomenon. It has been widely reported and studied for at least a decade with a failure to address institutional exploitation despite widespread evidence of employer misconduct.

Government Response

Paul Scully

The Government are committed to protecting vulnerable workers and have spent over £35 million a year on enforcement. HMRC recovered more than £20.8 million for workers in 19-20, while the Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority recovered over £166,000 for workers. A new single labour market enforcement body is being planned to better enforce employment rights, focusing on holiday pay and umbrella companies. The Government have also engaged with retailers to promote compliance in supply chains.

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