Labour Behind the Label stages rally for Leicester garment workers

UK non-profit Labour Behind the Label was behind a rally that took place over the weekend in support of garment workers in the Leicester manufacturing industry.

With further support from trade unions and workers’ rights organisations, the protest, which took place in Spinney Hill Park, was in regards to job losses and factory closures in the region.

In its event overview, Labour Behind the Label said: “Leicester garment workers have always made clothes for the world with skill and with pride.

“Yet when times are tough, fashion brands use their power to demand lower prices and push factories to closure. Whether it’s Covid-19 or the cost of living crisis, it is garment workers who are left to pay the price.”

At the rally, the organisation said it was to be campaigning and informing the public on the “crisis garment workers face” and how it believes decent jobs could be ensured in the city.

Factories in Leicester have been at the centre of scrutiny over recent years, with an array of reports and investigations finding a swathe of evidence suggesting indecent working conditions for employees.

In mid-2022, a survey conducted by University of Nottingham’s Rights Lab found that over half of respondents said they were being paid below minimum wage, while 55 percent said they were not getting holiday pay.

Leading fashion group Boohoo has also been criticised for its dealings in the city, where it operates with suppliers that have been subject to independent reviews regarding allegations of poor working conditions.

As a result, the conglomerate resorted to severing links with a number of suppliers, which it said at the time was linked to a “consolidation of the supply chain”.