Double Standards14 Jul 2020 07:35
Any employer paying below the minimum wage in the UK is not acceptable, we are fortunate enough to live in a country that has one and in doing so aims to protect its people, their families, and our way of living. This is a privilege that we have living and working in the UK.
Many other countries around the world don't have this luxury, hence the reason cheap overseas labour has driven mature economies for centuries. The unfortunate reality is that the majority of the products we consume in the UK can be tied to underpaid and often exploited workers somewhere in the world. That is what we as a nation and a global community need to address.
Until we meaningfully do that business, enterprises and governments will take advantage. The point here is that from our position of privilege we shouldn't lambast Boohoo for a few unconfirmed reports of underpaid workers in our own country. If it is confirmed they should be addressed accordingly, punished accordingly and the company should move on (which they will). Our ability to do this lies in the fact we have the checks and balances to be able to monitor that via the privilege of a minimum wage brings.
I'm invested here, and one of the reasons why is that they support UK manufacturing and don't exploit a global supply chain to the extent of competitors. I'd actually like them to use this as an opportunity to double down on quality UK manufacturing and turn the weakness into a strength.
If you're dropping Boohoo on the grounds of recent news, make sure you review the rest of your portfolio and see how globally they treat workers - only you can make your own moral call, but don't have double standards just as this is happening in our own, privileged country.
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