An undercover reporter from Channel 4 found that factory workers in the textile industry are paid well below the minimum wage. The reporter was hired and worked for some of the most important companies in the textile industry in UK, and what he found was not the best example of law enforcement.
He worked for some of the most important textile companies in the UK: River Island, Fashion Square, United Creations, Bohoo, Missguided, New Look and was paid between 3 and 3.5 pounds per hour. To the reporter's curiosity, the director of one of the companies told him that he would never earn 7.20 pounds, the legal minimum wage in this coutry. The rationale behind this claim was that it must compete with Chinese and Bangladesh firms in textile industry where the workforce is cheaper.
Even if we like the well-known companies in the textile industry, especially those selling cheap and fashionable products, these companies often abuse the workforce in a negative way. There are also less known companies in the textile industry to whom we can call to buy quality clothes, even if a bit more expensive. I recommend you to try these companies.
Subsequently, people in the leadership of these textile companies were questioned about the above allegations. They have not admitted, saying they respect the law and do not tolerate such practices.
In the UK, the minimum wage is reviewed annually. Only for teenagers who make apprenticeship the salary is 3.50 pounds per hour. For 25-year-olds, the minimum salary is 7.5 pounds per hour from April 1, 2017.
I hope that these problems will be solved and that such irregularities will not occur in the future because this creates tension that is not needed among the employees. |
