Today I met with the Independent Workers Union of Great Britain, following concerns of worker exploitation in Leicester’s textile factories. IWGB work across a wide range of areas to represent mostly low-paid and migrant workers, and areas of the workforce that have been under-unionised and under-represented for too long.

We discussed the barriers facing trade union membership among workers, and how we can overcome these. It is so important that workers are engaged with a trade union, so they can be empowered to speak up against issues like poor working conditions, minimum wage violations, and insecure employment contracts.

I look forward to working more with trade unions locally to end the exploitation of factory workers in Leicester’s garment industry.