"25p an hour: That's the pitiful amount this mother is paid to make bargain school uniforms for British children... it's so little she can only afford to see her OWN son twice a year." - from the Daily Mail
The Chairman of the Schoolwear Association, David Burgess,
is calling on MPs, parents and schools to consider the true cost of cheap
uniform.
In a letter to the Daily Mail, Mr. Burgess thanked
reporters of a special report for highlighting that women in Bangladesh are
being paid poverty wages to make bargain basement school clothing for some of
Britain’s biggest supermarkets. (Mail Online 17 September 2017)
He said: ‘we hope the Labour MP Sarah Jones has read your
investigation. Last week, she said it was “incredibly frustrating” for parents to see supermarkets
offering very low prices when schools required items to be bought from school
uniform specialists.
‘We remind schools, parents
and the MP that members of the Schoolwear Association sign up to a Code of
Conduct that requires them to source clothing ethically.
‘A well balanced good quality uniform,
looks better and lasts longer than off-the-shelf clothing. It helps to bring
improved learning, better behaviour and greater safety. It reduces peer pressure
at a time when teachers are seeing growing mental
health issues in class. And it does not come with the sinister hidden price tag
of exploitation.’
Perhaps the most shocking
revelation in the report was that mothers working in atrocious
conditions to make the uniform we can buy for less than a cup of coffee cannot
afford to send their own children to school.
Mr Burgess concluded ‘When
it comes to paying a fair price for uniform, we passionately believe every
child – whether in Britain or Bangladesh - is worth it.’
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