New Industry on a Skewed Playing Field: Supply Chain Relations and Working Conditions in UK Garment Manufacturing
Hammer Nikolaus, 2014
Name of publisher/editor
University of Leicester and Centre for Sustainable Work and Employment Futures
Co-author
Réka Plugor , Peter Nolan , Ian Clark
Geographic area
Europe
Summary & key words
UK garment manufacturing is at a crossroads. It has seen the emergence of new business models that are competitive in a globalised industry, integrated into global supply chains and developed relevant management systems. In contrast, the regulatory environment is largely geared to a model that has gone out of business. The average size of a garment manufacturer has declined by more than 60% over the last two decades, with 82% of firms employing less than 10 employees in 2013. These two drivers – sourcing and purchasing practices as well as product and labour market regulations – have in many ways resulted in a new, very different, industry which is dominated by small firms, fragmented supply chains, a largely vulnerable workforce, and the absence of enterprise-level industrial relations and worker representation.