WAGES FOR BANGLADESHI CLOTHING WORKERS

Early day motion 602, tabled 10 January 2007 by Harry Cohen (Labour). Signed by 59 members.

That this House is concerned that workers in Bangladesh are regularly working 80 hours a week for just 5 pence an hour in potential death trap factories to produce cheap clothes for British consumers of Primark, Tesco and Asda's `George' range; further notes that starting wages in the factories researched for War on Want's report were as little as £8 a month, barely a third of the living wage; further notes that even better-paid sewing machine operators receive only £16 a month, which equates to 5 pence an hour for the 80 hours they regularly have to work each week; further notes that in February and March 2006 garment factory collapses and fires in Bangladesh left almost 100 workers dead and many others injured; further notes that being locked in unsafe buildings has been a common complaint among Bangladeshi factory workers and that interviewees for War on Want's report stated that emergency exits are often kept locked in their workplaces; demands UK Government intervention with the exploiting companies to ensure a fairer deal for Bangladeshi workers even if that means higher prices for UK consumers; and further demands a readiness on the part of the Government to give the ethical trading initiative on www.ethicaltrade.org statutory force if the companies do not comply.

Signatures by party: Labour 32, Liberal Democrat 16, DUP 5, Conservative 2, Social Democratic and Labour Party 2, Plaid Cymru 1, Respect 1.