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SIMON WATKINS: Foreign sweatshops and low-cost clothing are hurting our economy



The horrific scenes from Dhaka in Bangladesh where at least 300 workers in a clothing factory died last week should be a source of shame to Western retailers and shoppers.


They also highlight the hidden price of the low-cost clothing revolution that has taken place in this country and elsewhere in recent years.


Cheap clothes (and indeed many other low-cost products) from factories across Asia and the Far East were a critical part of the boom years. They allowed economies such as Britain’s to keep on borrowing more than we earned while cheap imports helped to keep a lid on the inflation that would normally accompany a credit-fuelled binge.




LOW COST: Cheap clothes from factories across Asia and the Far East were a critical part of the boom years

Not all overseas factories are sweatshops with poor standards of health and safety, but quite clearly the risk of being party to exploitative practices – even unknowingly – rises when you source in factories in distant countries where employee rights are low on the agenda.


But this is not just a question of pleading for ethical shopping for its own worthy sake. What is bad for workers in dangerous factories in emerging markets may also be bad for British businesses and the UK economy.


More...
Manufacturers ask Osborne to come through on 'march of the makers' pledge as industrial production continues to slide

Has the lower cost of our clothing been matched by a declining quality? Many would argue it has. At the same time the rise of overseas manufacturing has seen a decline in British factories and manufacturing jobs.


The Government has talked of the March of the Makers – an aspiration that has yet to materialise. Last week’s economic growth figures showed manufacturing still shrinking.


Manufacturing will never be as big a part of this economy as it once was, but it must be a significant part of the recovery if we are to get a balanced and robust economy in the future.


Seeking out products made in Britain will be a boost to our economy. Sometimes it may also just be the right thing to do.


It is not often that Sports Direct boss Mike Ashley and Next chief Lord Wolfson are mentioned in the same breath.


They are both successful clothing retailers, but most might assume that is where the similarities end between the burly Sports Direct chief and the cerebral Next boss.


But in the past two weeks they have shown that they both recognise the importance of staff morale in a successful business. Two weeks ago Wolfson said he would waive his bonus and instead make sure that the money was shared between his employees.


The sums amounted to a small payout of £124 each, but the gesture spoke volumes.


Last week, 2,000 long-standing Sports Direct staff found out they would enjoy a share-based bonus worth on average £50,000 each under an employee benefit scheme put in place by Ashley when he floated the business in 2009.


Both companies doubtless have their faults, but on this point they have demonstrated considerable wisdom.

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