"Working for £3 an Hour Made Me Feel Dirty," Says Leicester Garment Worker

If you open your wardrobe, you might find clothes manufactured in Leicester, once the heart of England's clothing industry. The city, home to major retailers like Next, employed thousands in its bustling garment factories. However, after years of decline and factory closures, a surge in fast fashion rejuvenated the industry, driven by sub-contractors able to meet tight deadlines and high demands for cheap clothing.

Garment workers in Leicester recount their struggles with low wages and exploitation amidst the city’s ongoing fight to revive its clothing industry.

Yet, the coronavirus pandemic exposed severe exploitation within Leicester’s supply chain. As the city struggles to revive its garment sector, stories of abuse and underpayment have emerged.

Paramjit Kaur, 61, a former sewing machine operator who moved from India to join her husband Harvinder Singh in Leicester, described working conditions that left her feeling degraded. By the time she arrived in 2015, there were already concerns about factories paying below the living wage. Kaur, who struggled with English and faced difficulties finding work, spent years earning between £3 and £5 an hour. Despite receiving payslips showing full wages, she was often instructed to return part of her pay in cash.

"I felt dirty and bad but needed to work," Kaur said. "We were desperate with bills piling up. 'Keep working, keep working,' was the constant message."

Kaur's experience is echoed by other Indian workers in Leicester, many of whom reported earning below the National Living Wage of £11.44 per hour for adults over 21. One woman in her 50s, who requested anonymity, said she was paid £4 an hour as a "packer" and felt compelled to accept the low wage due to personal financial pressures.

The Fashion-workers Advice Bureau Leicester (FAB-L), supported by retail brands, helps workers facing exploitation. Tarek Islam of FAB-L explains that poor English skills and fear of losing Universal Credit push workers to accept low wages. He notes that some employers falsify records or demand cash refunds to appear compliant during audits.

FAB-L has helped recover £180,000 in unpaid wages for 90 workers since early 2022, but Islam believes this is just the tip of the iceberg. Stories of workers being owed thousands and facing intimidation are common. For instance, one worker was owed £5,000 and feared telling her husband.

The scandal that emerged during the pandemic significantly damaged Leicester's garment industry, with many factories shutting down. The Apparel and Textile Manufacturers Federation reports a drop from around 700 factories five years ago to just 60-100 today. The rise in online shopping and declining retailer orders have further hurt the industry, leading some manufacturers to relocate production abroad.

Alkesh Kapadia, a former Leicester factory owner, has moved production to cheaper locations like Morocco, Turkey, and Tunisia due to rising costs and shrinking orders. Similarly, Saeed Khilji, another manufacturer, has switched to import-export operations, citing unsustainable costs and canceled orders as key factors in the industry’s decline.

Despite these challenges, some are hopeful for a turnaround. The non-profit Labour Behind the Label is campaigning for fashion brands to commit to sourcing at least 1% of their products from Leicester’s factories. FAB-L's Tarek Islam emphasizes that brands must address exploitation in overseas supply chains as well.

Professor Rachel Granger from De Montfort University believes that Leicester’s garment industry could survive with significant investment in new technology and a focus on quality. She cites Germany's successful transition to robotic manufacturing as a potential model for Leicester's future.

Without such changes, both Kapadia and Khilji fear that Leicester's garment industry may face an uncertain future.