Almost everywhere in the world, Covid-19 acts as an indicator of the dysfunctions of societies or economies. In Leicester, England, the epidemic has brought to light a scandal already denounced several times in recent years, but against which very little has been done so far: thousands of people work for the local textile industry, with wages of around 3.50 pounds per hour (3.86 euros), well below the legal minimum (8.72 pounds for employees aged 25 and over).
With contaminations on the rise again in June, the British government reimposed strict confinement in early July in this large city in the Midlands, known for its very strong community from the Indian subcontinent (37% of the local population). And it appeared that this radical measure was not unrelated to the fact that the textile workshops in the city had continued to operate during the pandemic peak, without any protective measures for their workers.
Internal investigation
At the end of June, the NGO “Labor Behind the Label”, a specialist in the fight against workplace exploitation, accused Boohoo, a British fast fashion brand, targeting 15-30 year olds with jeans and dresses at 20 pounds sterling . About “75 to 80% of Leicester’s textile production” would be intended for warehouses of Boohoo and its other licenses PrettyLittleThing and Nasty Gal, according to the NGO, which says “Having collected information that people were asked to come to work even if they showed symptoms of Covid-19, otherwise they would lose their jobs.”
In early July, a journalist from Sunday Times got hired for a few hours without revealing his identity at a workshop in town making Nasty Gal clothing and offered an hourly wage of £ 3.50 to £ 4 an hour. He quotes in his article a foreman of the workshop who confided to him: “All over Leicester you will only find workshops that pay £ 3.50 to £ 4 an hour. I, for example, have worked for years in this industry, have been here for five years but still only get paid 5 pounds an hour. “
In response, UK Home Secretary Priti Patel asked the National Crime Agency (NCA) to investigate cases of modern slavery in Leicester. Boohoo has announced the launch of an internal investigation, but the London-listed group’s stock has lost almost half of its value since 1er July, after its main shareholder, Standard Life Aberdeen, sold almost all of its shares and distributors (Zalendo, Next, Asos) distanced themselves, dereferencing the brand’s clothing.
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