Leicester was once a hub for the clothing industry in the UK, with global retailer Next among the many companies that kept tens of thousands of people employed. However, the city’s fashion industry suffered from years of factory closures, before a boom in fast fashion created a new crop of sub-contractors providing flexibility to deliver large orders quickly and cheaply. Unfortunately, the coronavirus pandemic brought to light how cutthroat competition had created widespread exploitation throughout the city’s supply chain. Consequently, Leicester is now in the process of rebuilding its garment manufacturing industry.
61-year-old Paramjit Kaur was one of the workers concerned about the industry in Leicester, which had been paying far below the national minimum wage. Kaur, who had moved to the UK from India to join her husband Harvinder Singh in 2015, describes how she struggled for work due to poor English language skills, leaving her no option but to accept unacceptably low hourly rates. Some employers would even falsify records to make it appear people were being paid the living wage. When asked why she kept working, Kaur stated that “we were desperate. We had to pay council tax, the gas bill, rent. The bills kept coming.”
Kaur is not alone in her experiences, as several other workers from India have told the BBC they were paid £5 an hour or less in various Leicester garment factories. This is well below the National Living Wage, which currently stands at £11.44 an hour for adults over 21. As a result, the garment workers have been supported by the Fashion-workers Advice Bureau Leicester (FAB-L), which is funded by retail brands. FAB-L helps exploited garment workers
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