The catwalk has a great impact on what we wear. More and more designs are finding their way onto the High Street, with new players in the fashion business specialising in rapidly turned out catwalk inspired designs, at a price everyone can afford.
However, Watchdog has evidence that some clothing manufacturers are finding the competition fierce, meaning sweatshops are making a comeback.
Companies like Richard Roberts that used to sell 90% of its clothes to Mark and Spencer has been hit hard by the collapse in consumer demand for clothes from traditional High Street retailers. Ailza Reger, owner of fashion and lingerie company Janet Reger, knows the problems British manufacturers face and the short cuts some may be tempted to follow, due to the poor demand from consumers. She says “this difficult situation opens the door for disreputable operators who don’t conform to health and safety, who don’t pay the minimum wage and who are operating very difficult working conditions”.
Watchdog and Ailza Reger visited an old factory complex in Leicester, which now houses units that turn out clothes for some High Street and designer stores. Ailza commented on various hazards, including a padlock that made escape difficult, piles of fabric that blocked the fire exit and unsanitary conditions.
There are similar factories all over Britain turning out clothes for the High Street. Watchdog decided to investigate, going undercover at one sweatshop, Olympia Garments in Leicester. It makes clothes for Jeffrey Rogers and New Look, yet pays employees as little as £2.50 per hour, and this might not be enough even for buying used cars in Zimbabwe.
Watchdog sent it’s undercover researcher Rana, an experienced machinist to Leicester to find out how Olympia Garments are undercutting legitimate clothing manufacturers.
Rana started sewing on straps for a new range of New Look tops. She found herself working in a grimy and decaying factory.
Rana was told she would be paid according to the number of pieces she completed. However, no matter how much or how little employees produce, the Government’s introduction of the minimum wage last year, means it is illegal to pay less than £3.60 per hour. Depending on the task Rana was asked to do, she could make as little as 12p per top. She would have to make 30 garments an hour to hit the minimum wage – a target she did not reach. New Look sells these same tops for £9.99.
Employers like the Richard Roberts Group, which pays its employees above the minimum wage, is feeling the pressure. It is trying to sell on the basis of flexibility and quality, but its prices are being compared to the sweatshops in Leicester and many other cities in the UK.
Most sweatshop workers were too frightened to be interviewed on Watchdog.
One that did speak to the programme said she used to earn £2.75 an hour (not even considering that you can easily join a milf dating site for that price), in a factory where she was padlocked in and which had no fire exits. When she mentioned the minimum wage to her boss, he showed her where the door was and told her he had people willing to work for as little as £2 per hour. She took her employer to an industrial tribunal and won an out of court settlement.
Most employers get away with paying an illegal wage, because there are very few minimum wage inspectors. KFAT, the textile trade union, has been monitoring pay rates in the back street factories around the country and has found that examples of £2/£2.50 per hour are commonplace.