A clothing factory faces an investigation into modern slavery (representation)
London:
A clothing factory named Jaswal Fashions, based in the city of Leicester in the east of England, is facing an investigation into modern slavery after an undercover reporter allegedly set up shop-like conditions and wages below the minimum wage for its workers, including many in India.
According to The Sunday Times, his undercover reporter found that workers were paid as little as 3.50 pounds per hour against the UK minimum legal wage of 8.72 pounds per hour and also worked last week. during the localized locking of the coronavirus imposed on the city.
Interior Minister Priti Patel described the allegations as “truly appalling” and hailed the secret investigation for its role in “the discovery of such heinous practices”.
“I will not tolerate sick criminals forcing innocent people to do hard labor and a life of exploitation,” said Patel.
“Let this be a warning to those who exploit people in clandestine workshops like these for their own commercial gain. This is just the beginning. What you are doing is illegal, it will not be tolerated and we will tell you let’s go on, “she said. .
Last week, the Prime Minister of Cabinet ordered the National Crime Agency (NCA) of the United Kingdom to investigate allegations of modern slavery in Leicester’s clothing factories after the alarm sounded. were a key source of the outbreak of coronavirus infections in the region, which led to England. first localized COVID-19 lockout for the city.
“Over the past few days, NCA officers, along with Leicestershire police and other partner agencies, have visited a number of business premises in the Leicester area to assess concerns about modern slavery and to human trafficking, “said NCA, which examines the secret reports. .
The British Modern Slavery Act was passed in 2015, making it a crime to exploit the workforce and not pay the minimum wage.
The newspaper’s undercover reporter spent two days at Jaswal Fashions, a factory that supplies clothing to one of Britain’s fastest growing online retailers, Boohoo, which has labels such as Nasty Gal, PrettyLittleThing, MissPap, BoohooMAN, Karen Millen and Coast.
A statement from Nasty Gal said the company would investigate the newspaper’s allegations, but insisted that Jaswal Fashions was not a “direct supplier”.
“Nasty Gal does not allow any of its suppliers to pay less than the minimum wage and has a zero tolerance approach to the implications of modern slavery,” Nasty Gal said in a statement.
“We have ended supplier relationships when evidence of non-compliance with our strict code of conduct is found. We will take immediate steps to thoroughly investigate the allegations raised and if the allegations are substantiated, we will ensure that our suppliers immediately stop working with Jaswal. “, He adds.
The boxes packed at the factory bore the name Morefray Limited, another clothing manufacturer based in Leicester. The newspaper said the man identified as the factory owner refused to answer questions in detail, but said, “We have legitimate staff.”
The Labor Behind the Label campaign group recently claimed that Leicester factories manufacturing Boohoo clothing had put workers at risk of contracting COVID-19, pushing them to work without proper personal protective equipment (PPE) or social distancing .
“New evidence indicates that conditions in factories in Leicester, mainly for Boohoo, put workers at risk of COVID-19 infections and deaths, as some factories remained open to production during the lockout, while others are reopening now, “said the group. in his report.
The allegations are denied by Boohoo, who said it operates around 150 factories in Leicester, employing an average of 50 people each. The company’s CEO, John Lyttle, told the newspaper that he had “personally written to all factories”, describing the company’s standards and what they should do to meet “government guidelines”.
(This story has not been edited by GalacticGaming staff and is automatically generated from a syndicated feed.)
