THE UK’s ‘sweatshop village’ has become a ‘ghost town’ after fast fashion outlets feeding our addiction to cheap clothes pulled out – forcing scores of factories to close.
At least 1,000 workers have lost their jobs and are struggling to feed their children since big-name clothing brands switched to suppliers in Morocco, Turkey and Tunisia, a Sun probe can reveal.
Paul TongeHundreds of workers in Leicester have lost their jobs now that clothing manufacturers have switched to suppliers abroad[/caption]
Those working inside the so-called ‘sweatshops’ were doing so for as little as £2.50 an hour
AlamyClothing brand Boohoo has faced severe criticism for failing to monitor conditions in factories that supplied it[/caption]
Devastated Leicester locals say the change happened almost overnight following a public outcry over low pay and conditions in the East Midlands city, which was drawing comparisons with the slums of Bangladesh.
But embattled manufacturing bosses are pointing the finger of blame at the new Labour government, saying that Donald Trump-like tariffs should be imposed so they can compete with Chinese corporations like Shein and Temu.
Pete Tuli recently opened the Digital Press signage company in a former garment factory in the North Evington area of Leicester – and says the rattle of sewing machines suddenly stopped last year.
He said: “When we moved in, we were surrounded by clothing manufacturers but they have all closed down. They say it’s all going to Morocco now.
“Last year you could still hear the machines but this year, nothing. Two things happened. One, there was bad PR when there were all the reports about the factories during Covid times. But two, it’s always about who is cheapest.
“With Temu and Shein selling even cheaper clothes that are made in China, firms have to compete with that.
“So it no longer makes sense for them to source their clothes from Leicester. With business rates and National Insurance going up under Labour, it’s impossible to survive.
“The manufacturing industry needs a lot more support if it is going to have a future in this country.
“I think we should do what Trump is doing in the States and bring in tariffs that make it more expensive to import goods into the UK.
“We’re going to have a tough time competing as long as it’s so cheap to ship things here from Morocco and China.”
Leicester’s sweatshops were a closely-guarded secret known only to certain members of the garment community until five years ago.
The exploitative sewing, fabric and dye factories opened in response to the rise of fast fashion, referring to the insatiable demand for cheap clothes which were often paraded on social media before being thrown away.
Big UK companies like Boohoo made a mint cashing in on the trend, their skimpy outfits stitched together in record time before being snapped up on the internet and shipped direct to customer’s homes.
But the need to keep costs down and prices low resulted in production being outsourced to unscrupulous third-party bosses who – as we previously revealed – paid their employees as little as £2 an hour.
Sweatshop secrets
Those toiling in the many sweatshops were often undocumented migrants from Asia and Eastern Europe who lived in cramped two-bedroom flats alongside as many as a dozen other poor souls.
However, the scandal was blown open during the Covid-19 pandemic, when a significant number of employees got so sick they were unable to work.
SWNSThe Sun previously revealed the terrible conditions at the factories[/caption]
Paul TongePeter Tuli has seen Leicester-based brands lose out to cheaper competition from China, such as Shein and Temu[/caption]
Paul TongeDuring lockdown, it emerged that huge numbers of people were slaving away for up to 12 hours a day, for far less than the minimum wage[/caption]
Wesley Hall Community Centre manager Anita Rao says it was only during lockdown that she became aware of the huge numbers that were slaving for up to 12 hours a day for below minimum wage.
She now runs a food bank that supports over 1,000 families unable to make ends meet since the sweatshops went bust. She feels overwhelmed with guilt for blowing the whistle on the trade.
She said: “I only wanted to help. These people were coming here because they were desperate and before we could let them access the food bank we had to ask certain questions.
“It was then we started hearing stories of men and women being paid as little as £2 an hour to work 12 hours a day in factories with unsanitary toilets.
“These were people from Bangladesh, Pakistan, India, Romania and Bulgaria who saw the factory bosses as gods for putting food on their tables and did not dare to question them.
“We told them, ‘This is not right and if you keep working like this it could be dangerous for you.’
People relied on these factories, and their whole family relied on them too
Anita Rao
“We contacted the campaign groups Justice in Fashion and Hope for Justice because we wanted to call for better pay and conditions – for them to receive the minimum wage.
“We told the truth about what was going on, but nothing changed. The only thing that changed was that the factories closed down and everyone lost their jobs.
“So instead of getting £2 an hour they were getting nothing.
“It was very sad because people relied on these factories and their whole family relied on them too.
“I know it’s not good for people to be paid below minimum wage, but for them it was still a lot of money – and for their families back home it was a huge amount of money.
“There was a lot of upset and anger after that. It got so bad that the girl from Hope for Justice suddenly stopped coming here because she was scared.
“Some of those factories had been here for 10 years and for so many to close down was a big loss for Leicester and of course people were not happy.”
Paul TongeAnita Rao now runs a foodbank supporting those who have lost their jobs[/caption]
Paul TongeBoarded-up clothing factories have now been left to rot[/caption]
Many of those living in the area relied on the low wages they were paid working in the factoriesPaul Tonge
ReutersBoohoo sells cheap clothing aimed at the mass market[/caption]
Ghost town
Anita’s team now organises educational classes to help former garment workers learn new skills.
She added: “These people are very good at sewing, but they don’t know anything else and without a job they don’t have enough money to feed their children.
“We have been helping them claim benefits, access English lessons and apply for jobs in other industries. I really hope that something positive will come from this one day.
“But I think the government should have done more to educate the garment factory bosses on how to treat their workers better.
“They could have also supported them financially so they were better able to compete with foreign firms – that way they wouldn’t have had to close down.”
The scandal that engulfed Leicester’s clothing industry
DURING previous visits to Leicester’s clothing factories, The Sun found evidence of modern slavery and sub-standard working conditions with workers being paid for a little as £2.50 an hour.
Workers in these so-called “sweatshops” were having to toil for hours in unsanitary conditions, only to go home and sleep in cramped, terraced homes harbouring multiple families and up to a dozen people.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, the factories were blamed for cases rising in Leicester despite a fall in the national rate of infection.
Many factory bosses forced their workers to carry on despite the risks during this time.
There were also reports of workers being ordered to come in even if they tested positive, and reports of multiple cases of furlough fraud.
Following revelations over poor working conditions in factories that produced clothes for Boohoo, more than £1billion was wiped off the company’s value.
The fashion giant pledged to changed and improve monitoring of its suppliers.
North Evington’s dilapidated factories that were once humid with the sweat of workers now stand empty and cold, the net curtains to deter prying eyes replaced with iron mesh to keep out looters.
Signs stating ‘For Let’ pepper the red brick walls. The previously overcrowded terraced houses appear bereft and uninhabited, haunting vines of satellite dishes staring down on deserted roads.
A number of locals we spoke to blamed the job losses on production moving to Turkey, Morocco and Tunisia and said a number of shops were struggling to make a profit as a result.
One shopkeeper, who asked not to be named, recalled a village of people pouring onto the streets when day shift finished at 6pm.
“Now it’s like a ghost town,” he added.
Paul TongeNitin Patel has lived in the area since the early 1970s[/caption]
Those living in the once-thriving areas are now struggling to find workPaul Tonge
Nitin Patel, 65, has helped run Shahi Kabab restaurant in North Evington, where most of the unsanitary sweatshops were based, since 1973.
He said: “This area used to be like Little India, there were so many garment workers, but all that has gone now and it’s not coming back.
“Over one thousand people used to work in these buildings and you would see them queuing outside before their shifts.
“It was good because there was so much footfall and everyone had work so no-one went hungry.
“Yes, they had to do 12 hour days, but I would work 20 hours a day and there was a good sense of community.
“The problem was there were too many cowboys trying to make a fast buck and now the fashion business is gone and the workers have lost their jobs.
“There is nothing here now and it’s very sad to see.”
The Sun has contacted Boohoo for comment.
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