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Some members of the British parliament recently called for a compulsory garment trade adjudicator following the failure of voluntary initiatives to stamp out labour abuses in the UK fashion industry. The Environmental Audit Committee (EAC) expressed shock that underpayment of wages and poor conditions appeared to be rife in UK garment factories over the last three years.
The committee said voluntary corporate social responsibility initiatives had failed to significantly improve pay and working conditions, and the government should therefore explore the introduction of an adjudicator.
“Purchasing a garment with a ‘Made in the UK’ label ought to be a guarantee that the workers who produced it are paid at least the minimum wage, in a workplace which is safe. We found that it is not,” EAC wrote in a letter to business secretary Kwasi Kwarteng.