Workers making clothes for Boohoo and Missguided on £3.25 an hour

WORKERS making clothes for Manchester online retailers Boohoo and Missguided as well as New Look and River Island have been paid between £3 and £3.50 – less than half the UK minimum wage – a TV documentary screened last night has revealed.

A reporter from Channel 4’s Dispatches went undercover as a prospective employee at United Creations, which made garments for Boohoo and Missguided and at Fashion Square which makes clothes for River Island and Fashion Square  which supplies New Look.

The minimum wage for workers over the age of 25 is currently £7.20 an hour.The reporter was offered £3.25  an hour at United Creations.

Fire safety hazards were also uncovered at the United Creations factory, with staff at work stations blocking fire exits and the owner of the factory was even filmed smoking on the factory floor and dropping ash near fabric.

Boohoo told the programme its was unaware United Creations was carrying out work for an approved supplier and said it visited the factory as soon as Dispatches alerted it.

The listed company said it had a “demanding set of policies for all suppliers and will now do regular unannounced audits”.

In a statement to the programme Missguided said: “We take the allegation very seriously and demand highest standards of safety, working conditions and pay from all our suppliers and sub-contractors.

“We are committed to achieving the standards set by the Ethical Trading Initiative and conduct regular audits and spot checks on our supply chain. We have begun an internal investigation.

“We will also ensure that these matters are addressed urgently by the supplier in the best interests of the workers.”

Fashion Square and United Square have refuted claims that their employees have been paid below minimum wage.