UK lawmakers, retailers call for action to prevent garment workers' exploitation

LONDON, July 20 (Reuters) - A group of 50 British lawmakers,
retailers such as Marks & Spencer and New Look, and investors
and NGOs called on Monday for urgent action to prevent the
exploitation of garment factory workers in the United Kingdom.

Their joint letter, coordinated by industry lobby group the
British Retail Consortium (BRC) and addressed to interior
minister Priti Patel, asked for the introduction of statutory
licensing of garment factories to ensure they all meet their
legal obligations to employees.

The letter was published following recent media reports of
workers being paid below the minimum wage, not being supplied
with personal protection equipment (PPE) and working in unsafe
conditions.

Britain's minimum wage is 8.72 pounds ($10.95) for people
over 25 years old and 8.20 pounds for people aged 21 to 24.

The BRC said it and its members have long been calling for
greater enforcement by the authorities to support the actions
retailers are taking to ensure fair treatment of workers and to
enourage businesses to invest in UK fashion manufacturing.

"Recent reports in the media demonstrate the urgent need for
action before more workers are needlessly taken advantage of,"
said BRC chief executive Helen Dickinson.

The letter said the proposed licencing scheme would protect
workers from forced labour and mistreatment, ensure payment of
taxes and create a level playing field for businesses to compete
fairly by preventing rogue manufacturers undercutting prices.

It would also encourage retailers to source their clothing
from the UK, supporting the development of the industry.

Retailer signatories include ASOS, Walmart
owned Asda, M & S, Morrisons, N Brown,
Joules, New Look, River Island and Matalan.

Online fashion retailer Boohoo was not a signatory.
It wrote its own letter to Patel on Friday backing a licensing
scheme.

"We fully support the proposals of the BRC and others on the
need to implement statutory licensing of garment factory owners
and managers," said a Boohoo spokesman.

Investor signatories include Allianz Global Investors,
Columbia Threadneedle Investments, Fidelity International,
Jupiter Asset Management and Schroders Investment Management.
($1 = 0.7962 pounds)
(Reporting by James Davey
Editing by Alexandra Hudson)