BRC demands action on Leicester garment industry

LONDON – Garment workers in Leicester, United Kingdom, are being “robbed” of tens of millions of pounds in unpaid wages, claims the British Retail Consortium (BRC). The trade body, which has been calling for the UK Government to introduce a licensing scheme since July, has now written to the Home Secretary over its lack of action on the issue.

It estimates that over 10,000 garment factory workers are being paid an average of £3.50 an hour – well below the National Minimum Wage of £8.72. “This violation of workers’ rights cannot be allowed to continue, and Government has a key role to play in this,” it says, claiming that exploited garment factory workers have been denied over £27m in wages since July.