United Kingdom

A new study says that over 2,500 garment workers in the city of Leicester are earning less than half the legal minimum wage of £6.50 per hour. The study, published by the University of Leicester, also says that many of these workers, predominantly women, don’t have employment contracts and are subjected to bullying, verbal abuse, and threats on a regular basis. The study also found that most of of these workers were either British nationals or legal residents who had been in the country a while. (Leicester Mercury)
 
The textile industry of the United Kingdom could create as many as 20,000 new jobs in the next 5 years thanks to reshoring and growth in several high demand areas, according to a new report published by the Lord Alliance. The report noted that British clothing exports doubled between 2003 and 2013 and that over 5,000 jobs were created in this same time period, mainly in areas that are still reeling from the mass exodus of the industry in the 1970’s and 1980’s. Great Britain is the world’s 15th-largest textile manufacturer. (Financial Times)