Motion text
That this House is appalled by the resurgence of attention on the scandal of workplace exploitation and failure to pay the national minimum wage in Leicester’s garment industry; expresses alarm that successive governments have been aware of this exploitation for over a decade yet have failed to act; is concerned that little action has been taken in 2020 to protect workers in Leicester’s garment industry; calls on Boohoo and other large garment corporations to sign the Transparency Pledge, end the race to the bottom in its supply chain and recompense underpaid workers; is shocked by The British Retail Consortium’s estimation that workers in Leicester’s apparel manufacturing are underpaid a total of £2.1 million per week; calls on HMRC to investigate the extent of money laundering and VAT fraud within the sector; urges the government to reverse the underfunding of regulatory institutions including HMRC, the HSE and local authorities; further urges the government to introduce legislation to regulate the fashion retailer purchasing practices; calls for the GLAA to establish a firewall between immigration enforcement and employment rights enforcement; recognises that Trade Unions are the best line of defence against workplace exploitation and the need for unions to be granted access to workplaces, be involved in labour market inspections and for the scope of collective bargaining rights to be widened; and calls on private companies, regulatory bodies and the Government to begin approaching this crisis with the ambition and urgency it demands.
Signatures (22)
The first 6 Members who have signed to support the motion are the sponsors. The primary sponsor is generally the person who tabled the motion and has responsibility for it. The date shown is when the Member signed the motion.
Webbe, Claudia
Independent
Signed on
15 January 2021
Begum, Apsana
Labour
Signed on
15 January 2021
Burgon, Richard
Labour
Signed on
18 January 2021
Russell-Moyle, Lloyd
Labour
Signed on
18 January 2021
Osborne, Kate
Labour
Signed on
18 January 2021
Sultana, Zarah
Labour
Signed on
18 January 2021
In addition to the sponsors, the following Members have signed to support the motion.
Dorans, Allan
Scottish National Party
Signed on
19 January 2021
Morris, Grahame
Labour
Signed on
19 January 2021
Thewliss, Alison
Scottish National Party
Signed on
19 January 2021
Mearns, Ian
Labour
Signed on
19 January 2021
Ribeiro-Addy, Bell
Labour
Signed on
19 January 2021
Winter, Beth
Labour
Signed on
19 January 2021
Johnson, Kim
Labour
Signed on
19 January 2021
Shannon, Jim
Democratic Unionist Party
Signed on
20 January 2021
Wilson, Sammy
Democratic Unionist Party
Signed on
20 January 2021
Stephens, Chris
Scottish National Party
Signed on
21 January 2021
Williams, Hywel
Plaid Cymru
Signed on
22 January 2021
Saville Roberts, Liz
Plaid Cymru
Signed on
22 January 2021
Lake, Ben
Plaid Cymru
Signed on
22 January 2021
Hill, Mike
Labour
Signed on
25 January 2021
Lucas, Caroline
Green Party
Signed on
25 January 2021
McDonnell, John
Labour
Signed on
27 January 2021
There are no withdrawn signatures for this motion.