Apparel Labour market exploitation in the UK has become indigenised - TruePublica
Apparel Labour market exploitation in the UK has become indigenised
Low paid,
precarious and informal employment is commonplace in a sector shaped by
new regulatory regimes and global manufacturing trends writes Nik
Hammer.
How is it that wages in the apparel
manufacturing sector in the UK have been pushed well below the national
minimum wage, and basic work and employment standards are frequently
violated? Even in one of the industries most exposed to the vagaries of
the global market, wouldn’t you expect minimum employment rights to be
safeguarded in the UK? Haven’t worker rights campaigns tried to address
the gaps in the social regulation of global value chains
and, particularly in developing and emerging economies, developed
groundbreaking campaigns to halt the race to the bottom in employment
and working conditions (for example, the Clean Clothes Campaign; Worker Rights Consortium; Ethical Trading Initiative andThe Accord)?
Interestingly, it is precisely in the aftermath of the financial
crisis that UK apparel manufacturing has had a resurgence. After the
industry’s long decline it may come as a surprise that gross value added
(GVA) increased by over 10% between 2008-14. In the East Midlands, the
largest ‘fast fashion’ sourcing hub in the UK, it increased by 39%
between 2008-13. However, this increase in UK production is actually a
complement to off-shoring to the far east and southeast Asia.
