0:00:03 > 0:00:07This is the story of one small town in the north of England...
0:00:09 > 0:00:11..and its attempt to take on the economic might
0:00:11 > 0:00:15of one of the fastest-growing nations in the world.
0:00:16 > 0:00:20This is the battle of Kirkby versus...
0:00:22 > 0:00:23..China.
0:00:24 > 0:00:27And the weapon of choice? Cushions.
0:00:29 > 0:00:33If they can make them quicker, cheaper, and better than their Asian competitor,
0:00:33 > 0:00:37then it will prove that jobs can come back to Britain for good.
0:00:38 > 0:00:42We believe that our girls and our staff are good enough here to compete with anybody.
0:00:43 > 0:00:46But the competition is tough.
0:00:46 > 0:00:49More than 1,000 factories in this area.
0:00:49 > 0:00:53For me to actually take jobs from here back to Merseyside,
0:00:53 > 0:00:56it's a big challenge. Why do it? This is where it's at.
0:00:56 > 0:00:59They'll have to find new people...
0:00:59 > 0:01:01You haven't got factory experience.
0:01:01 > 0:01:04I don't mind giving you the 3.70 to help you get in if that helps.
0:01:04 > 0:01:07..train them in the lost skills of manufacturing...
0:01:07 > 0:01:08I can't do it at all.
0:01:08 > 0:01:12Making 1,000 of these a week sounds really far off.
0:01:13 > 0:01:16I'll get my whip and go, "Stop doing that."
0:01:16 > 0:01:19When they can do zips, they can do any job.
0:01:19 > 0:01:21..they'll have to hang onto them...
0:01:21 > 0:01:23I just wondered if you could give us a quick call,
0:01:23 > 0:01:25just let us know if you're coming back or not.
0:01:25 > 0:01:29- That's a pity, isn't it?- Yeah. - She made such a good start as well.
0:01:29 > 0:01:32He went for his dinner and he's never come back. I haven't seen him since.
0:01:33 > 0:01:36..and work together to pull it off.
0:01:36 > 0:01:39- Look at that.- You've got the job. - I've got the job.
0:01:39 > 0:01:41SHE LAUGHS
0:01:41 > 0:01:43This is better than getting a giro every two weeks.
0:01:43 > 0:01:48That is a tenth of what I need you to do.
0:01:48 > 0:01:52Stop panicking, just get your head down, concentrate.
0:01:52 > 0:01:54Can this town prove
0:01:54 > 0:01:57that the British manufacturing lion can roar once more
0:01:57 > 0:02:00and take on the Asian tiger?
0:02:11 > 0:02:15Morning, ladies. ALL: Morning.
0:02:15 > 0:02:19Tony Caldeira owns two cushion factories.
0:02:19 > 0:02:21These would be good for a fight, wouldn't they?
0:02:21 > 0:02:24Land Of Hope And Glory! What do you reckon?
0:02:25 > 0:02:28In Kirkby, Merseyside, he employs 40 people.
0:02:28 > 0:02:31- How long have you worked for us now? - 14 years.- 14 years.
0:02:31 > 0:02:35You don't get that for armed robbery, do you? THEY LAUGH
0:02:35 > 0:02:38And in this factory on China's industrial east coast,
0:02:38 > 0:02:40he employs 50.
0:02:42 > 0:02:44Now Tony is embarking upon
0:02:44 > 0:02:48one of the biggest business experiments of his career.
0:02:48 > 0:02:53What I'm trying to do here is bring work back from China to the UK.
0:02:53 > 0:02:57In China, wage costs and general inflation is very high at the moment
0:02:57 > 0:03:00and it's becoming less and less competitive.
0:03:00 > 0:03:04Tony wants to prove that Britain can capitalise on increasing
0:03:04 > 0:03:08Chinese costs and reinvigorate its own manufacturing base
0:03:08 > 0:03:10to steal back the work.
0:03:11 > 0:03:15It's an experiment that will pit Kirkby against China,
0:03:15 > 0:03:18a David and Goliath battle.
0:03:18 > 0:03:22Tony has given himself three months to find the right staff,
0:03:22 > 0:03:27train them, and then hang onto them.
0:03:28 > 0:03:32If we can't get the right staff to get the goods produced in time,
0:03:32 > 0:03:35we'll let our customers down, we'll lose the orders,
0:03:35 > 0:03:39and all of this project, all of this experiment, all of this trial that we've currently got
0:03:39 > 0:03:41is all going to be a waste of time.
0:03:44 > 0:03:46It's the beginning of Tony's crusade.
0:03:48 > 0:03:53He's hitting Kirkby town centre in his search for the next generation of British manufacturers.
0:03:55 > 0:03:57We need staff quickly.
0:03:57 > 0:03:58At short notice,
0:03:58 > 0:04:0380 job-hungry people have turned up to hear what he has to offer.
0:04:03 > 0:04:07The girl in the red cardigan. She'll give you all the necessary forms.
0:04:07 > 0:04:08Competition for jobs is tough.
0:04:08 > 0:04:14In this area, there are 14 unemployed people for every vacancy.
0:04:14 > 0:04:16Any job that we put out,
0:04:16 > 0:04:20we are oversubscribed for in terms of numbers applying for it.
0:04:24 > 0:04:2746 people have been invited for interviews,
0:04:27 > 0:04:30with jobs ranging from warehouse work and cushion stuffing
0:04:30 > 0:04:33to the skilled craft of sewing.
0:04:36 > 0:04:40Will these be Kirkby's heroes in the quest to defeat China?
0:04:40 > 0:04:45- What would your ideal job be?- Well, at the moment, just a stable job.
0:04:45 > 0:04:48- OK.- Something that's going to keep my feet on the ground.
0:04:48 > 0:04:52Have you done anything that's similar, either in manufacturing
0:04:52 > 0:04:56or warehousing, or anything like that, or production line work?
0:04:56 > 0:04:58- Have you done anything along those lines?- No.
0:04:58 > 0:05:02- However, I am willing to learn and easily adapt to it.- OK.
0:05:02 > 0:05:06What actually goes against you is the fact that you haven't got
0:05:06 > 0:05:08direct factory experience.
0:05:08 > 0:05:11How are you going to be able to manage working underneath someone
0:05:11 > 0:05:14when you've been used to supervising for a long time?
0:05:14 > 0:05:18- Are you not over-qualified? - Well, no. It's just the way I work.
0:05:18 > 0:05:20I just like to get the job done.
0:05:20 > 0:05:24For the past 15 years, we've both worked in basically the same place.
0:05:24 > 0:05:27We're brothers, he's my younger brother.
0:05:27 > 0:05:30Hopefully, we can get this job together now.
0:05:30 > 0:05:33Two hardest working lads you'll ever get, mate, I'm telling you.
0:05:33 > 0:05:38- I'm not just saying that to try and get us the job, but we are. - But you will.
0:05:40 > 0:05:46The factory offers the minimum wage to start with, at £6.08 an hour,
0:05:46 > 0:05:50and for 18 to 20-year-olds, just under a fiver.
0:05:50 > 0:05:53If you'd like to just take a seat.
0:05:53 > 0:05:55Rebecca is just 19.
0:05:55 > 0:05:59On her CV is a fast food outlet, a sunbed shop and a call centre.
0:05:59 > 0:06:01She last used a sewing machine at school,
0:06:01 > 0:06:04but it's a far cry from working on a factory floor.
0:06:04 > 0:06:09I like the way that you've always tried your best to stay in work
0:06:09 > 0:06:12but you don't seem to have been able to have held anything down.
0:06:12 > 0:06:15- Is that because you were at college? - I've gone from job to job straightaway.
0:06:15 > 0:06:18- I've never really not had a job.- OK.
0:06:19 > 0:06:23Also hoping to make it onto Tony's fast sewing floor
0:06:23 > 0:06:25is 19-year-old Sophie.
0:06:25 > 0:06:28She's been out of full-time work for six months,
0:06:28 > 0:06:30but she does have an evening job.
0:06:30 > 0:06:33My job at the moment is I only work in a chippy
0:06:33 > 0:06:36and obviously it's limited hours so it's only £55 a week,
0:06:36 > 0:06:40which, like, for a young girl isn't very much, do you know what I mean?
0:06:40 > 0:06:43I've had to get help with my rent and stuff off, like, family.
0:06:43 > 0:06:44So it would be nice to get this job.
0:06:44 > 0:06:47I am really hard-working. I always have been.
0:06:47 > 0:06:51And from reception to year 11, I never had one day off school.
0:06:51 > 0:06:53I had 100% attendance all the time.
0:06:56 > 0:07:02If any town is in need of a boost to manufacturing, then it's this one.
0:07:02 > 0:07:04Kirkby, in the borough of Knowsley,
0:07:04 > 0:07:06is just down the road from Liverpool.
0:07:06 > 0:07:08We had the decline in the '80s.
0:07:08 > 0:07:11Unemployment rose to probably in the region of about 22%.
0:07:11 > 0:07:13So we've had generational unemployment
0:07:13 > 0:07:16and we're probably looking at second generation worklessness now.
0:07:19 > 0:07:22The North was Britain's manufacturing heartland,
0:07:22 > 0:07:24but years of decline have taken their toll.
0:07:27 > 0:07:31Today, Kirkby is in the fifth most deprived borough in England,
0:07:31 > 0:07:34with a quarter of people claiming some kind of benefit,
0:07:34 > 0:07:38and the unemployment level is 70% higher than the national average.
0:07:40 > 0:07:44No jobs being created, you know. Despondency everywhere.
0:07:45 > 0:07:48Yeah. It's a bad time to be young.
0:07:48 > 0:07:52I'm on the internet every day looking. I don't like...
0:07:52 > 0:07:56I hate not working. I got made redundant and it's not easy.
0:07:56 > 0:07:58I don't think people are interested.
0:07:58 > 0:08:01They look at me and they think, "Oh, well, he needs training
0:08:01 > 0:08:05"so we'll look at someone older who's already got it."
0:08:18 > 0:08:20Tony's taken on 17 new staff.
0:08:20 > 0:08:24For Nick, Paul, Gary, his brother Todd,
0:08:24 > 0:08:28Rebecca, Sophie and Val, it's their first day.
0:08:28 > 0:08:30These will be the troops in his battle
0:08:30 > 0:08:33against China's global dominance.
0:08:35 > 0:08:37- Morning, ladies, you all right? - ALL: Yes.
0:08:37 > 0:08:38- You all up for this? - ALL: Yes.
0:08:38 > 0:08:41If you want to follow me now, I'll sort you out.
0:08:41 > 0:08:45Leading the new trainees is Pam, the head of the sewing floor,
0:08:45 > 0:08:48with over 38 years' experience.
0:08:48 > 0:08:52Her main focus will be Rebecca and Sophie with no factory experience.
0:08:52 > 0:08:55Val has sewn before.
0:08:55 > 0:08:57I don't like people who mess me around.
0:08:57 > 0:09:00And I've not had anybody who messes me around.
0:09:00 > 0:09:03They'll all listen to me and they'll all do what I ask.
0:09:04 > 0:09:07If Kirkby's going to take on China,
0:09:07 > 0:09:11then these two 19-year-olds will have to do what she asks.
0:09:11 > 0:09:15But right now just learning to thread the machine is a challenge.
0:09:15 > 0:09:19Round, in between them two little plates.
0:09:19 > 0:09:23And then you see that spring there? It catches on that.
0:09:23 > 0:09:29Through that little hole, through there, then through your needle.
0:09:29 > 0:09:32Did you watch all that? Are you sure?
0:09:32 > 0:09:36Neither of them has ever worked with an industrial machine before.
0:09:41 > 0:09:43So what way do you go round the plates?
0:09:43 > 0:09:48- That goes through there, and through that.- Yeah, yeah, yeah. - And back through that one.
0:09:50 > 0:09:54I've put it through the silver bit, over that, and down.
0:09:55 > 0:09:59Unless they churn out a minimum of 1,000 cushions a week,
0:09:59 > 0:10:01they'll be a cost to the business.
0:10:02 > 0:10:05I've been looking for work for a few months now and it came up.
0:10:05 > 0:10:07I went to Connexions and it just came up and she said,
0:10:07 > 0:10:10"Have you got experience?" I said, "I've done it in school."
0:10:10 > 0:10:14I did like doing it in school but I didn't think I'd have a career in it
0:10:14 > 0:10:17and now I'm working in a factory doing cushions.
0:10:17 > 0:10:22- But you've done everything right except you go that way. - That way, yeah.
0:10:22 > 0:10:26They'll have a few little hiccups, you know,
0:10:26 > 0:10:28but other than that, they're doing really well.
0:10:28 > 0:10:31They threaded the needle the wrong way,
0:10:31 > 0:10:34but that's to be expected - they've never done it before.
0:10:34 > 0:10:37You need to write on your docket, "No labels."
0:10:37 > 0:10:42Pam has run the factory's experienced sewing floor for 12 years.
0:10:42 > 0:10:46I've always had praise for Tony because he gave me a chance
0:10:46 > 0:10:49and I'm hoping that I've repaid him 110%.
0:10:50 > 0:10:54She's in charge of 12 machinists, who, together,
0:10:54 > 0:10:56sew 12,000 cushions a week.
0:10:56 > 0:11:00You should have seen me on Saturday night trying to walk in them shoes.
0:11:00 > 0:11:04- I was walking like a model. - SHE LAUGHS
0:11:04 > 0:11:10Joanne's been a machinist since she was 16 and is one of the fastest.
0:11:10 > 0:11:11You can come in and watch me
0:11:11 > 0:11:14and you think, "I'll never be able to do that."
0:11:14 > 0:11:16And you've just got to learn.
0:11:16 > 0:11:18And in the end, you can do it as good as I do.
0:11:20 > 0:11:23After 26 years of sewing, Joanne is here to stay.
0:11:25 > 0:11:28Hopefully, I'll be here until I'm 60. Cos I like my job.
0:11:28 > 0:11:29I think I fit in very well.
0:11:29 > 0:11:33They all know me now, they're used to me, and you get what you see.
0:11:33 > 0:11:35SHE LAUGHS
0:11:36 > 0:11:38But the floor's in need of young blood.
0:11:38 > 0:11:44Sewing is a dying skill and the youngest person here is 39.
0:11:50 > 0:11:53Hi, Debbie. You all right?
0:11:53 > 0:11:55Malcolm's the factory's manager
0:11:55 > 0:11:57and Tony's right-hand man for the last 12 years.
0:11:59 > 0:12:02It's his job to make the dream of the Kirkby expansion come true.
0:12:02 > 0:12:05You've done 200 by now. That's brilliant. Right, see you later.
0:12:07 > 0:12:08No, it's not going to be simple.
0:12:08 > 0:12:11There are always complications when you try things like this.
0:12:11 > 0:12:14With his 30 years of experience in textiles,
0:12:14 > 0:12:19Malcolm will be the person trusted to implement Tony's plan.
0:12:19 > 0:12:22People have always said that me and him are a good combination
0:12:22 > 0:12:26because I'm the boring one who keeps his feet on the ground.
0:12:26 > 0:12:27He wants to go at 300 miles an hour
0:12:27 > 0:12:29and I'm going at a snail's pace, shall we say.
0:12:31 > 0:12:35Tony's always full of ideas. Malcolm will go, "Oh, no, not again."
0:12:35 > 0:12:39Tony's current challenge for Malcolm is nothing less
0:12:39 > 0:12:44than to resuscitate British manufacturing with the new recruits.
0:12:44 > 0:12:47In many ways, a lot of our workforce is getting older
0:12:47 > 0:12:49and a lot of the skill base is also getting older as well.
0:12:49 > 0:12:53We're getting to the point where we need to get some new staff in
0:12:53 > 0:12:56and some younger people into the industry
0:12:56 > 0:12:59so we've got a long-term sustainable future.
0:12:59 > 0:13:03But Malcolm's sceptical about recruiting trainees.
0:13:03 > 0:13:07Until they're up to speed, they're a cost to the business.
0:13:07 > 0:13:10We've not had people under 20 for quite some time, actually, training.
0:13:10 > 0:13:12We've tended to recruit more experienced ladies
0:13:12 > 0:13:15because we need to make cushions quickly.
0:13:15 > 0:13:17When you start to train people,
0:13:17 > 0:13:22obviously they don't add any extra work to your output.
0:13:23 > 0:13:24Like all the machinists,
0:13:24 > 0:13:27Rebecca and Sophie will be paid minimum wage
0:13:27 > 0:13:30but can earn a bonus if they break their targets
0:13:30 > 0:13:32of about 50 cushions an hour.
0:13:32 > 0:13:35But at the moment, there's a lot to learn.
0:13:35 > 0:13:36Press your foot back now.
0:13:36 > 0:13:39They won't be able to make the money straightaway.
0:13:39 > 0:13:42I can remember I never used to earn money straight away.
0:13:42 > 0:13:43And then gradually, they will.
0:13:45 > 0:13:46There's still a long way to go
0:13:46 > 0:13:50if the new recruits are to compete with the Chinese workers
0:13:50 > 0:13:53who earn just one pound an hour.
0:13:56 > 0:13:57In the warehouse,
0:13:57 > 0:14:01it's also the first day for brothers Nick and Paul.
0:14:01 > 0:14:03If you just push the box in...
0:14:05 > 0:14:09They were both unemployed before Tony gave them a chance.
0:14:09 > 0:14:13I used to go out my front door at 7:30am, 8am,
0:14:13 > 0:14:15looking for a job, every day, Monday to Friday.
0:14:15 > 0:14:18I basically used to just get up thinking I was going to work,
0:14:18 > 0:14:21cos I was going to work, trying to find a job.
0:14:23 > 0:14:24The best thing about the job...
0:14:26 > 0:14:29..is just having a job, basically, not being on benefits.
0:14:29 > 0:14:33£67.50 a week, you just cannot live on it, can you?
0:14:33 > 0:14:35Do you know what I mean?
0:14:35 > 0:14:38You buy food, you pay leccy, you pay gas - you've got no money left.
0:14:38 > 0:14:42- How are you supposed to live on that?- It's a joke.
0:14:42 > 0:14:45Are you listening, Cameron? Just in case you're watching as well!
0:14:45 > 0:14:47HE LAUGHS
0:14:53 > 0:14:55Nine hours on the factory floor
0:14:55 > 0:14:58has been tough for the younger new recruits.
0:14:58 > 0:15:03- Tired, very tired. I just need me bed.- I do.
0:15:03 > 0:15:04Too tired.
0:15:04 > 0:15:06I'd say I'm feeling quite tired now.
0:15:06 > 0:15:10I can tell I've had an early morning and a long day kind of thing.
0:15:10 > 0:15:11I'm starting to feel it now to be honest.
0:15:11 > 0:15:14I do hope they will be back tomorrow because I have seen it before,
0:15:14 > 0:15:18where people have come in, been a very positive and confident first day
0:15:18 > 0:15:20and then the following day they just don't turn up.
0:15:24 > 0:15:26The working day hasn't ended for Sophie.
0:15:26 > 0:15:28It might be five o'clock,
0:15:28 > 0:15:31but in half an hour she'll start her evening job to earn more money.
0:15:31 > 0:15:37It means on Mondays and Tuesdays her working day won't finish until 10pm.
0:15:37 > 0:15:40Yeah, it's, like, a long day, so,
0:15:40 > 0:15:43it has been a lot of grafting, really.
0:15:43 > 0:15:45Been up since early this morning, and obviously now,
0:15:45 > 0:15:49it's getting a bit late. I'm just dying for me bed really.
0:15:49 > 0:15:53By having two jobs, I've got me money to get by and then me money
0:15:53 > 0:15:57to spend on myself, so I think I will end up keeping the two jobs
0:15:57 > 0:16:00whether it kills me or not, just so I can spend money.
0:16:07 > 0:16:106,000 miles away on the east coast of China,
0:16:10 > 0:16:13Tony owns a second factory.
0:16:13 > 0:16:16In the eight years he's been there,
0:16:16 > 0:16:20he's seen how the country has grown to global dominance.
0:16:21 > 0:16:26Key to that is the dedication of the Chinese workers.
0:16:26 > 0:16:29In Zhejiang province, Tony's staff sleep at the factory,
0:16:29 > 0:16:32and only go home once a year.
0:16:32 > 0:16:36They are very hardworking, very aspirational,
0:16:36 > 0:16:38very keen to do better, of course.
0:16:38 > 0:16:41Most of the workers have migrated to the east coast
0:16:41 > 0:16:44to earn bigger wages and send the money home.
0:16:46 > 0:16:50What's your hope for the future? What are you working towards?
0:17:05 > 0:17:08But the Chinese workforce is changing.
0:17:11 > 0:17:14Soaring costs in the shops mean they want more pay.
0:17:21 > 0:17:23In the last eight years,
0:17:23 > 0:17:29the basic pay in Tony's factory has rocketed from 20p to £1 an hour.
0:17:32 > 0:17:34On top of wage inflation,
0:17:34 > 0:17:37there's an unfavourable exchange rate for the west,
0:17:37 > 0:17:40shipping costs, taxes and cultural barriers.
0:17:40 > 0:17:43You know people would say China was, you know,
0:17:43 > 0:17:45the cheapest place in the world to manufacture.
0:17:45 > 0:17:49It isn't anymore. The fact of the matter is fairly simple, you know,
0:17:49 > 0:17:53China isn't going to dominate the world's manufacturing forever.
0:17:55 > 0:17:58These rising costs have already led Tony
0:17:58 > 0:18:02to reduce his workforce in China from 200 to 50.
0:18:06 > 0:18:09The changes in China are a big opportunity for Britain.
0:18:12 > 0:18:16Tony is expanding in Kirkby, or at least that's the plan.
0:18:18 > 0:18:20There's already been a resignation.
0:18:22 > 0:18:25On the sewing floor, Rebecca and Sophie are still struggling
0:18:25 > 0:18:28with the demands of a skilled machinist's job.
0:18:28 > 0:18:32Are you going on the proper cushions now?
0:18:32 > 0:18:34And you're going to be doing boxing.
0:18:34 > 0:18:38It's to me a bit easier job but it won't be to them,
0:18:38 > 0:18:39they've got to learn.
0:18:39 > 0:18:44But are they ready, willing and able?
0:18:44 > 0:18:46So you've sewn all the way around.
0:18:48 > 0:18:54So when it's turned through, there's your cushion made. OK?
0:18:54 > 0:18:59In the end they'll be on zips, which is a really hard job,
0:18:59 > 0:19:02and then, when they can do zips they can do any job.
0:19:02 > 0:19:05I'll just unpick that for you there,
0:19:05 > 0:19:08cos you'll have to re-sew it, from there to there.
0:19:08 > 0:19:09You'll get there.
0:19:09 > 0:19:13When you go on proper work, it's a lot more difficult, ain't it?
0:19:13 > 0:19:16- Yeah.- You'll be fine, though.
0:19:16 > 0:19:19She ended up having to unpick a bit of work
0:19:19 > 0:19:21because I told her to flatten the zip out,
0:19:21 > 0:19:25and it wasn't quite flat enough, so I made her unpick it,
0:19:25 > 0:19:26because, quality!
0:19:28 > 0:19:33Ugh, feel like crying. Cos I can't do it at all.
0:19:36 > 0:19:39And making 1,000 of these a week sounds very far off.
0:19:43 > 0:19:46Last time we had young people working here,
0:19:46 > 0:19:48upstairs on sewing machines, was...
0:19:48 > 0:19:52a good few years ago, it was that long I can't remember.
0:19:52 > 0:19:55If Tony's plan to take on China is to work,
0:19:55 > 0:19:58then he needs his new workers to learn quickly.
0:20:00 > 0:20:03- You OK, love?- It just keeps doing that all the time to me.
0:20:03 > 0:20:05Right, let's have a look.
0:20:09 > 0:20:12You're fine, once you get your angle you'll be fine. Don't worry.
0:20:12 > 0:20:16You let your machine do the work and you just guide it.
0:20:16 > 0:20:17Get to the end like that.
0:20:23 > 0:20:28What it is, it's just angling. There you are. OK?
0:20:30 > 0:20:34See that corner done then. OK, love?
0:20:34 > 0:20:38Don't get too frustrated. You'll be all right.
0:20:38 > 0:20:43By the end of the day, Rebecca has had to unpick her sewing five times.
0:20:43 > 0:20:46Sophie, just once.
0:20:47 > 0:20:50Sophie was a lot more confident, you could tell she'd done
0:20:50 > 0:20:52something like that before, like in college, and Rebecca..
0:20:52 > 0:20:56I don't know whether Rebecca's done the same
0:20:56 > 0:20:58but Sophie picked it up a lot quicker than Rebecca.
0:20:58 > 0:21:01She's still doing well but she's just a bit more nervous.
0:21:03 > 0:21:05Yeah when, when you start getting angry with yourself,
0:21:05 > 0:21:07you're just like, "I'll give up," but then you can't do that,
0:21:07 > 0:21:11you've got to keep going cos you've got targets to hit, so...
0:21:11 > 0:21:13Don't know, should be all right though.
0:21:13 > 0:21:15Because she was getting a bit flustered today,
0:21:15 > 0:21:19I just hope she comes in tomorrow and starts afresh
0:21:19 > 0:21:21and then she'll get back into it.
0:21:21 > 0:21:24But I just don't want her panicking and getting herself all frustrated.
0:21:28 > 0:21:29How many boxes of these?
0:21:31 > 0:21:32Five.
0:21:33 > 0:21:36Also in their first week are Gary and Todd.
0:21:36 > 0:21:38They're working on filling and packing
0:21:38 > 0:21:41and are the second set of brothers the factory's taken on.
0:21:41 > 0:21:44When I got the call I was made up.
0:21:44 > 0:21:47I got straight on the phone to my family and told them I got the job.
0:21:47 > 0:21:52But it's relentless work for minimum wage.
0:21:52 > 0:21:56At the moment Todd is on a job where he can earn a bonus,
0:21:56 > 0:21:58but his brother Gary can't.
0:21:58 > 0:22:00My works a lot harder than what Gary's doing,
0:22:00 > 0:22:04he's got an easy job, just picking up cushions and loading them.
0:22:06 > 0:22:12You have to pack 50 bags an hour before you can earn any kind of bonus.
0:22:12 > 0:22:14You've got to do a hell of a lot to get a bonus, a hell of a lot.
0:22:14 > 0:22:17I think for what he's doing now you get 15p a bag.
0:22:17 > 0:22:19The pressure on the bagging area is speed.
0:22:19 > 0:22:23It is speed because the fillers never, ever stop,
0:22:23 > 0:22:24I won't allow them to stop,
0:22:24 > 0:22:29so the baggers, even if they think "I'm very tired I need a minute,"
0:22:29 > 0:22:32they can't because it's piling up and piling up, and I'll walk along
0:22:32 > 0:22:35and say, "Why's that piling up, come on."
0:22:35 > 0:22:39- Right, Todd, how many are you up to now, love?- 35.
0:22:39 > 0:22:4135? Brilliant, OK, love.
0:22:43 > 0:22:46Todd hasn't hit no bonuses yet, so we get the same money.
0:22:46 > 0:22:48I reckon like a month or something,
0:22:48 > 0:22:52I'd say then I'll probably earn a bit of a bonus, not much though.
0:22:52 > 0:22:56If Todd starts earning more money then he can start taking me to the pub.
0:23:00 > 0:23:02Taking on the might of the far east is hard work
0:23:02 > 0:23:07and for British manufacturing's troops, it's time for their reward.
0:23:09 > 0:23:12- You all right, Todd?- Thank you.
0:23:13 > 0:23:15Most of them have earned minimum wage
0:23:15 > 0:23:20and are taking home £213 a week after tax.
0:23:20 > 0:23:21- Still enjoying it?- Yeah.
0:23:24 > 0:23:28But the minimum wage is less for the 18-20 year olds.
0:23:28 > 0:23:31And they have just £182 in their pocket.
0:23:31 > 0:23:34- Here you go, Sophie, congratulations. - Thank you very much.
0:23:34 > 0:23:38It could be worse. In China, the workers earn £50 a week.
0:23:38 > 0:23:41It's my first pay check since five months,
0:23:41 > 0:23:46and you know, it's just better than getting a giro every two weeks, basically.
0:23:46 > 0:23:50The last time I got properly paid was about...3-4 months ago.
0:23:50 > 0:23:55Well, this time it'll make a big difference cos I've been living off £40 a week.
0:23:59 > 0:24:04It's a fortnight into Tony's plan to bring work back to Britain from China,
0:24:04 > 0:24:08and there's already signs that the experiment is starting to creak.
0:24:08 > 0:24:12Rebecca has called in sick for the second time.
0:24:12 > 0:24:15Hi, Gary, you all right?
0:24:15 > 0:24:20- Believe you might know something that I don't?- Uh, yeah, I think...
0:24:20 > 0:24:22- Rebecca's started a new job.- Really?
0:24:22 > 0:24:24Only across the road in Vertex.
0:24:24 > 0:24:26She was talking about it on Friday, when we finished,
0:24:26 > 0:24:29saying that she got a phone call from Vertex.
0:24:29 > 0:24:32She said she's going to go in and see them on Monday,
0:24:32 > 0:24:35and with her not turning in, I think she might have got the job.
0:24:35 > 0:24:37You've not heard whether she had?
0:24:37 > 0:24:41I don't know if she has yet, don't know if she's definitely got the job.
0:24:42 > 0:24:47That's a pity, isn't it? She made such a good start as well.
0:24:47 > 0:24:48Oh well, back to the drawing board then.
0:24:48 > 0:24:51- All right, thanks for that, mate. All the best.- See you in a bit.
0:24:51 > 0:24:55To lose a second employee is a real blow for Tony.
0:24:55 > 0:24:58He wants to offer manufacturing to a new generation,
0:24:58 > 0:25:02but even with high local unemployment, he's got competition.
0:25:02 > 0:25:04Well, that's really disappointing because it looks
0:25:04 > 0:25:07as though she's got a relatively easy job, an easier job,
0:25:07 > 0:25:10not as physically demanding a job in a call centre
0:25:10 > 0:25:11where she's got more money.
0:25:11 > 0:25:14That just goes to show how difficult it is to actually get people
0:25:14 > 0:25:17to start learning a trade, such as sewing machining.
0:25:17 > 0:25:22I think the new job Rebecca's gone to, got about 7.50 an hour
0:25:22 > 0:25:24so it's quite a bit more.
0:25:24 > 0:25:27They said it was boring, like, upstairs
0:25:27 > 0:25:29but they couldn't hit the targets either.
0:25:29 > 0:25:33Becca didn't mind the job at first, but she did get her first wage slip
0:25:33 > 0:25:34and I did see her face drop.
0:25:34 > 0:25:36There's a lot of hours that you're putting in,
0:25:36 > 0:25:40doesn't look all that amazingly much for what you do,
0:25:40 > 0:25:44but I think she's just found something where she does less work for more money basically.
0:25:50 > 0:25:52By leaving to work in a call centre,
0:25:52 > 0:25:56Rebecca has managed to increase her pay by a third.
0:25:56 > 0:25:59Hi, Rebecca. Tony here, hope you're well.
0:25:59 > 0:26:02Just heard from one of the guys that you might've found some other
0:26:02 > 0:26:05alternative employment here in Merseyside
0:26:05 > 0:26:08and just wondered if you could give us a quick call and just let us know
0:26:08 > 0:26:11if you're coming back or not, that'd be much appreciated.
0:26:11 > 0:26:14Thank you, bye bye.
0:26:20 > 0:26:24Rebecca has got a job in a call centre.
0:26:24 > 0:26:30Malcolm's fears of being let down by inexperienced staff have come true.
0:26:30 > 0:26:33So, it's disappointing, really, isn't it?
0:26:33 > 0:26:37What about replacing her, what do you think we should do?
0:26:37 > 0:26:42Well, from Rebecca's point of view we had another experienced machinist
0:26:42 > 0:26:47who had called us so we basically give her a ring now
0:26:47 > 0:26:50and she's going to come in and see us tomorrow.
0:26:50 > 0:26:52OK. Sounds good.
0:27:02 > 0:27:03News has spread.
0:27:03 > 0:27:06On their tea break, Joanne and Pam
0:27:06 > 0:27:08are joined by old hands Sharon and Carol.
0:27:08 > 0:27:11The thing is, though, she didn't give it much time because wherever
0:27:11 > 0:27:15she's gone working now, how does she know it's going to last...
0:27:15 > 0:27:18But she didn't. To me, she didn't put the effort in,
0:27:18 > 0:27:20I don't think she wanted to do it. If you don't want do it...
0:27:20 > 0:27:24But, Carol, if she's in a call centre, answering a phone,
0:27:24 > 0:27:26it's different than working a machine,
0:27:26 > 0:27:28doing piece work everyday, isn't it?
0:27:28 > 0:27:31She's not going to learn much answering a phone, is she?
0:27:31 > 0:27:34The conversation turns to the factory's pay level.
0:27:34 > 0:27:38Minimum wage is definitely not enough to live on.
0:27:38 > 0:27:41Not when somebody's on their own, and if they've got a mortgage
0:27:41 > 0:27:44and if you've not got a partner, meaning Sharon.
0:27:44 > 0:27:46I mean she's only her.
0:27:46 > 0:27:49She's got a mortgage, she pays the bills, she's got to pay food.
0:27:49 > 0:27:53It should be at least 7-7.50 an hour.
0:27:53 > 0:27:57I think it should be 7.50, we would never ever get that.
0:27:57 > 0:27:59We would never get 7.50, but I think for what we do,
0:27:59 > 0:28:02yeah, I think we deserve 7.50 and more.
0:28:02 > 0:28:05But if we were, they couldn't be competitive and we'd close.
0:28:05 > 0:28:10They want everything cheaper and they say we can get it cheaper here,
0:28:10 > 0:28:12get it cheaper there.
0:28:12 > 0:28:17By the end of the week, three out of the original 17 new recruits have jumped ship.
0:28:19 > 0:28:22For Sophie, Gary, Todd, Nick and Paul,
0:28:22 > 0:28:26the reality of a factory job at minimum wage is sinking in.
0:28:26 > 0:28:28If another job came along, offering better money,
0:28:28 > 0:28:31obviously you're going to take it, know what I mean?
0:28:31 > 0:28:33With this job at the moment, you cannot do nothing.
0:28:33 > 0:28:36You go home and you eat your tea and you go to bed,
0:28:36 > 0:28:38just about pay the Sky bill.
0:28:38 > 0:28:41I don't work for this company, I just work for the money.
0:28:41 > 0:28:43Yeah, you work for the money at the end of the week.
0:28:43 > 0:28:46I work for my family, my boss is my family, that's it.
0:28:46 > 0:28:49If I get home and I've got no money for the ice cream van
0:28:49 > 0:28:52or for anything like that, or tell my little lad
0:28:52 > 0:28:54he can't play on the PlayStation then that's what I work for.
0:28:54 > 0:28:57I work for him, I don't work for Mr Caldeira or whoever.
0:28:57 > 0:28:59I work for my son and my missus, you know what I mean,
0:28:59 > 0:29:02and my house, that's who I work for.
0:29:02 > 0:29:07Ultimately, our customers won't allow us to pay our staff anymore.
0:29:07 > 0:29:10If we paid our staff too much, our products would become too expensive
0:29:10 > 0:29:12and then we wouldn't have any business at all.
0:29:16 > 0:29:20Staying competitive is crucial if the experiment is to succeed.
0:29:22 > 0:29:26His British workers are up against the whole of China.
0:29:38 > 0:29:41Tony's owned a factory here for eight years.
0:29:44 > 0:29:46Good to see you.
0:29:51 > 0:29:55Just like in Kirkby, there's a staffing crisis brewing.
0:29:57 > 0:30:00- Hey, Sachy. Ni Hao.- Ni hao.
0:30:00 > 0:30:03Helping Tony sort it out is Zhai, his financial controller.
0:30:03 > 0:30:07If you can tell her I don't want her to leave because I like her work.
0:30:07 > 0:30:11Tony is being held to ransom by one of his staff.
0:30:11 > 0:30:15Originally he came to China as labour costs were low.
0:30:15 > 0:30:19People view the Chinese workforce as quite docile and subservient,
0:30:19 > 0:30:23but this younger generation of Chinese has more confidence.
0:30:23 > 0:30:26It's, you know, it is cockier almost.
0:30:26 > 0:30:28I can't pay a crazy salary.
0:30:28 > 0:30:32Also, I need to pay a fair salary for the job.
0:30:32 > 0:30:36Sachy has worked in the warehouse for three years.
0:30:36 > 0:30:40She's been offered a 30% pay rise, but it's not good enough.
0:30:48 > 0:30:53She said she has told you she wants 50,000 per year.
0:30:55 > 0:30:58This would give her a 50% pay rise.
0:31:16 > 0:31:18If you can't pay her that,
0:31:18 > 0:31:25- she suggests that you can find another worker instead of her.- OK.
0:31:25 > 0:31:29She's actually wanting a 50% pay rise, in essence,
0:31:29 > 0:31:31and basically sticking a gun to my head and saying,
0:31:31 > 0:31:34"If you don't pay me 50% more then I'm off somewhere else."
0:31:34 > 0:31:35Bye bye.
0:31:35 > 0:31:38In the UK warehouse, if somebody came to me and said,
0:31:38 > 0:31:40"I want a 25% pay rise,"
0:31:40 > 0:31:43you know, they'd be on the next bus back to Kirkby.
0:31:43 > 0:31:48It just wouldn't happen, because there's another 100, 200, 300 people waiting to take their place.
0:31:48 > 0:31:50In here, it's not like that.
0:31:53 > 0:31:56High wage demands aren't his only problem.
0:31:56 > 0:32:00It's just after Chinese New Year and there's been a mass exodus of staff.
0:32:02 > 0:32:05It happens every February as one year's contracts finish
0:32:05 > 0:32:07and the staff look for a better job.
0:32:09 > 0:32:13With one recruitment drive down in Britain, Tony's now got
0:32:13 > 0:32:15to embark on one in China.
0:32:21 > 0:32:24This is Chinese for the Job Centre.
0:32:26 > 0:32:28Hundreds of manufacturing positions are on offer.
0:32:44 > 0:32:46HE SPEAKS IN CHINESE
0:32:50 > 0:32:53This is bonkers. In the UK, there are more workers than jobs.
0:32:53 > 0:32:55In China, there are more jobs than workers.
0:32:56 > 0:32:58With a labour shortage,
0:32:58 > 0:33:00doing business in China isn't as easy as it used to be.
0:33:00 > 0:33:03Tony will have to compete with all the other employers
0:33:03 > 0:33:05for the best staff.
0:33:06 > 0:33:10You've got literally millions of people who have the opportunity
0:33:10 > 0:33:15of choosing which place to go to, which factory to actually work in.
0:33:15 > 0:33:19You can see here, before, that was 2,000,
0:33:19 > 0:33:23they've now just changed it to 3,000.
0:33:23 > 0:33:25Somebody's just had a 50% pay rise.
0:33:27 > 0:33:323,000 RNB is equivalent to £300 a month.
0:33:32 > 0:33:35Are they interested? Do they think the salary is good
0:33:35 > 0:33:37or what do they think?
0:33:37 > 0:33:41A lot of workers are looking for a guaranteed salary
0:33:41 > 0:33:44rather than pay linked to the amount they produce.
0:33:44 > 0:33:47The guaranteed salary is 2,000 but also, as a piece worker,
0:33:47 > 0:33:50it means he can earn more if he is good.
0:34:01 > 0:34:04What he'll probably do is go around the different factories
0:34:04 > 0:34:06and find out which is his best option.
0:34:18 > 0:34:24This is the 11th day of the job fair and it's still heaving.
0:34:24 > 0:34:27Within 10 minutes of being there, they've run out of leaflets.
0:34:27 > 0:34:29We've had a good reaction, so that's a good start.
0:34:29 > 0:34:32People aren't just throwing the leaflets back and saying, "No, thanks,"
0:34:32 > 0:34:36They're having a look, they're studying, they're thinking about it.
0:34:44 > 0:34:47In Britain, the factory picks the staff.
0:34:47 > 0:34:51Here in China, it's the staff who pick the factory.
0:34:51 > 0:34:55And what better way than to check out the potential workplace.
0:34:55 > 0:34:58We tend to find that you get, maybe groups of people together,
0:34:58 > 0:35:01maybe a bunch of friends or relations,
0:35:01 > 0:35:06sometimes husband and wife teams that actually come from maybe
0:35:06 > 0:35:091,000 miles, 2,000 miles away in the west of China to the coast
0:35:09 > 0:35:12and they'll want to work together in the team.
0:35:17 > 0:35:21Although recruitment is difficult and costs are rising in China,
0:35:21 > 0:35:26a short drive illustrates what a threat it still is.
0:35:28 > 0:35:31The Hangzhou Bay area is famous.
0:35:31 > 0:35:36You know, it's the capital of home textiles manufacturing in the world.
0:35:36 > 0:35:39It's probably like Lancashire was in the 18th, 19th century,
0:35:39 > 0:35:41where we were the workshop of the world.
0:35:41 > 0:35:45Now, that workshop of the world, in terms of home textiles, is here.
0:35:46 > 0:35:50If Tony's going to take more jobs back to the UK,
0:35:50 > 0:35:52it could mean leaving this area.
0:35:52 > 0:35:55He's decided to visit one of his fabric suppliers
0:35:55 > 0:35:57to do more research.
0:35:57 > 0:36:00And it's a very different place to Kirkby.
0:36:04 > 0:36:05Ni hao.
0:36:05 > 0:36:08Chen is one of the factory's managers.
0:36:14 > 0:36:18In this area, how many textile factories in total do you think there are?
0:36:21 > 0:36:25More than 1,000 factories in this area all making textiles?
0:36:35 > 0:36:38Why is the factory here?
0:36:52 > 0:36:55We have the skilled workers who know the textile business.
0:36:55 > 0:36:58You have many suppliers, who are in this area and can work together.
0:36:58 > 0:37:00It's also very close to the port,
0:37:00 > 0:37:03Also, because there's many companies here,
0:37:03 > 0:37:06all the buyers come to this area,
0:37:06 > 0:37:08so our customers also come here as well.
0:37:12 > 0:37:15For me to actually take jobs back from here,
0:37:15 > 0:37:19back to Merseyside is, you know, it's a big challenge, why do it?
0:37:19 > 0:37:21This is where it's at, this is, you know,
0:37:21 > 0:37:24this is where it's all going on in textile, so it's going
0:37:24 > 0:37:26to be a really big challenge for me to be able to compete.
0:37:40 > 0:37:45Back in Merseyside, there's not many jobs and lots of people.
0:37:45 > 0:37:50A labour surplus, so hanging on to staff in Kirkby should be easy.
0:37:51 > 0:37:54But a fourth new starter has abandoned the factory
0:37:54 > 0:37:58and it's only the third week of the experiment.
0:38:00 > 0:38:04Training new people to sew is also proving difficult.
0:38:04 > 0:38:05Hold it, put your hand... Hold that.
0:38:05 > 0:38:08- I'm left-handed so it's backwards for me.- All right.
0:38:08 > 0:38:10Straight down, go on, go on.
0:38:12 > 0:38:15The only issue we do have is Sophie, really,
0:38:15 > 0:38:17who we need to push on a little bit.
0:38:17 > 0:38:20- So are my ends a bit wonky?- Yeah, you're going too far down, yeah.
0:38:21 > 0:38:23She's got all the basics now,
0:38:23 > 0:38:25she knows the quality standards we're looking for.
0:38:25 > 0:38:28She's got used to her machine, so now there's no reason why
0:38:28 > 0:38:31she shouldn't start to push on with her performance now.
0:38:32 > 0:38:35Open your zip a bit, that's it.
0:38:36 > 0:38:39Malcolm's worried about Sophie's productivity.
0:38:39 > 0:38:41To give you an idea, somebody like Joanne,
0:38:41 > 0:38:45who's one of our quicker machinists, will be earning performance
0:38:45 > 0:38:47of somewhere around sort of 100, 110, 120%
0:38:47 > 0:38:50or in that sort of level.
0:38:50 > 0:38:52Some of our recruits who are experienced,
0:38:52 > 0:38:56they're about 90% now
0:38:56 > 0:38:59and then Sophie who's literally started from scratch,
0:38:59 > 0:39:02she's sort of getting into the 20% margin,
0:39:02 > 0:39:05just managing to creep up on a daily basis.
0:39:11 > 0:39:13Carol, do you want a sandwich?
0:39:13 > 0:39:17Pam and the girls have decided to have a chat with Sophie.
0:39:19 > 0:39:22At the end of the day you've got to have your confidence.
0:39:22 > 0:39:25Once you've got your confidence then you will go.
0:39:25 > 0:39:29Once you get used to it and the way we sew, then you just pick it up.
0:39:29 > 0:39:32You know, when you're sewing, you're like lightning.
0:39:32 > 0:39:34Yeah, I've had years of experience.
0:39:34 > 0:39:38I started off the way you did, believe me, shaking and fixing.
0:39:38 > 0:39:42I really do fumble, I realise that that's my main problem, that I just fumble.
0:39:42 > 0:39:44We've got to get that out of you now.
0:39:44 > 0:39:46You will overcome that.
0:39:46 > 0:39:49If anyone sees me shaking, can you just going to have to...
0:39:49 > 0:39:52Yeah, I'll get me whip and go swoosh. Stop doing that!
0:39:55 > 0:39:59Malcolm's struggling with Tony's vision of training inexperienced youngsters.
0:40:01 > 0:40:04Although it's very good to bring people in and train them up
0:40:04 > 0:40:07and we have tried to steer away from this
0:40:07 > 0:40:09simply because of three reasons.
0:40:09 > 0:40:12One, there's a cost implication for the business.
0:40:12 > 0:40:14Two, when we're recruiting we need the work quickly
0:40:14 > 0:40:17and if you take a trainee on they don't actually manufacture
0:40:17 > 0:40:22much stock in the sort of early period of time, and finally,
0:40:22 > 0:40:26quality, we've got to make sure that we don't lose our quality.
0:40:26 > 0:40:28With so many new staff abandoning ship,
0:40:28 > 0:40:34Tony could follow Malcolm's advice and opt for experienced workers.
0:40:34 > 0:40:39But Tony wants to do more than just get the orders out of the door.
0:40:39 > 0:40:43He wants to reinvigorate British manufacturing
0:40:43 > 0:40:46and he thinks he might have found a new way,
0:40:46 > 0:40:47with the long term unemployed.
0:40:50 > 0:40:53At least some of the people that haven't worked for a long time,
0:40:53 > 0:40:57might be more interested in actually building a career
0:40:57 > 0:41:00and having the patience and the tenacity to stick at it.
0:41:03 > 0:41:07Tony's hoping that the potential applicants he'll find here
0:41:07 > 0:41:09are less likely to abandon him for other jobs.
0:41:09 > 0:41:12So we've got some jobs on the production line.
0:41:12 > 0:41:14Sometimes it might just be making the cushions.
0:41:15 > 0:41:18Generally, what kind of issues do your clients face?
0:41:18 > 0:41:23People who have had long-term health-related issues, disabilities
0:41:23 > 0:41:25and people looking after young families
0:41:25 > 0:41:27but are looking to get out to work.
0:41:27 > 0:41:30Offenders and ex-offenders.
0:41:32 > 0:41:36Do Britain's hopes for stealing work back from China lie in this room?
0:41:38 > 0:41:41So what kind of work are you looking for?
0:41:41 > 0:41:44Well, you've mentioned about the sewing and stuff.
0:41:44 > 0:41:47I've got experience working on sewing machines.
0:41:47 > 0:41:51I got my experience working on sewing machines while I was in prison.
0:41:51 > 0:41:56What would it mean to you if we could actually give you a chance?
0:41:56 > 0:41:59Well, it starts me on that road,
0:41:59 > 0:42:04where I can be a responsible member of society living an honest life.
0:42:04 > 0:42:0780% of the clients who we support into work,
0:42:07 > 0:42:13maintain the job after three months, and 70% after 12 months.
0:42:13 > 0:42:16There are risks involved. However, on the flip side,
0:42:16 > 0:42:19some of them are really keen to actually learn the trade,
0:42:19 > 0:42:22and because it's very difficult for them to get a job,
0:42:22 > 0:42:25they may actually knuckle down and get stuck in.
0:42:25 > 0:42:28Tony needs to get his experiment back on track.
0:42:28 > 0:42:31He's got vacancies on the sewing floor.
0:42:32 > 0:42:35It's hard to motivate yourself to go out to look for work
0:42:35 > 0:42:36cos you get turned down.
0:42:36 > 0:42:40Most of them don't even turn you down, they just don't get back.
0:42:40 > 0:42:45Like Lauren, Lisa has some limited experience in sewing
0:42:45 > 0:42:47but there are other issues holding her back.
0:42:47 > 0:42:50I've done 6 months care of my granddad.
0:42:50 > 0:42:55He unfortunately got attacked. He had carers previously
0:42:55 > 0:42:59because he had a fall and, yeah, two of them pretended to be carers
0:42:59 > 0:43:04and come into his home so I just spoke to the family and just agreed
0:43:04 > 0:43:07with them that it was best that I took on caring full time for him.
0:43:07 > 0:43:13But would it affect his care though, if we gave you a chance?
0:43:13 > 0:43:15Well, I spoke to him and he'd like me to do full time,
0:43:15 > 0:43:20but I told him I'd try part time first off and then we'll see
0:43:20 > 0:43:23how we're going with his care and stuff.
0:43:23 > 0:43:26John sewed bin men's gloves in prison.
0:43:26 > 0:43:27You've been very honest with me
0:43:27 > 0:43:30and you've told me that you've got a criminal record.
0:43:30 > 0:43:32I mean, what was that all about?
0:43:32 > 0:43:35Well, because I got involved with using drugs and drinking,
0:43:35 > 0:43:40I couldn't finance the addiction.
0:43:40 > 0:43:43So I started smuggling drugs myself.
0:43:43 > 0:43:46I got seven years for smuggling cannabis.
0:43:46 > 0:43:49You're telling me now that you're clean and you got over it?
0:43:49 > 0:43:54I went into a treatment centre, 12 step programme, 13 months ago.
0:43:54 > 0:43:57So what is it, like a rehab clinic or something?
0:43:57 > 0:44:00Now a lot of people would think actually I'm taking a risk by taking you on.
0:44:00 > 0:44:03I mean how are you going to help me reduce that risk?
0:44:03 > 0:44:06I live one day at a time,
0:44:06 > 0:44:09and as soon as anything goes wrong for me, people are aware of it.
0:44:09 > 0:44:13Do you know? I believe I'm more reliable now than I've ever been.
0:44:16 > 0:44:19Tony has decided to test the sewing skills of all three
0:44:19 > 0:44:21in a trial at the factory.
0:44:21 > 0:44:24I'm excited and nervous.
0:44:24 > 0:44:25What was the outcome?
0:44:25 > 0:44:30Just to sort my benefits, cos I'm a carer
0:44:30 > 0:44:32so I need to sort that out before.
0:44:32 > 0:44:35I feel privileged, to be able to be given a chance
0:44:35 > 0:44:38and to go on and prove myself in the factory.
0:44:38 > 0:44:41Giving somebody a job can be, you know,
0:44:41 > 0:44:45quite a life-changing experience for some of the people
0:44:45 > 0:44:48and it's quite humbling sometimes when you can see people
0:44:48 > 0:44:51that desperately want to work for your organisation,
0:44:51 > 0:44:52just to give them that chance.
0:44:58 > 0:45:02Tony might be enthusiastic about the long-term unemployed...
0:45:02 > 0:45:07They had all kinds of people who hadn't worked for a long time.
0:45:07 > 0:45:10..but Malcolm's doubts are clear.
0:45:10 > 0:45:13What do you think, do you think it's a bit of a risk or...
0:45:13 > 0:45:16Oh yeah, sounds very much so to me.
0:45:16 > 0:45:18I mean, do you think you're going to have time
0:45:18 > 0:45:21to get any trials done next week or what are you thinking?
0:45:21 > 0:45:24Well, I'm up to here, Tony, at the minute.
0:45:24 > 0:45:27If you wouldn't mind, if you could pick that one up next week,
0:45:27 > 0:45:29that would help me out massively.
0:45:29 > 0:45:33All right, if that's the situation then I'll take it from here.
0:45:33 > 0:45:34Perhaps when they come in next week,
0:45:34 > 0:45:37I'll work with Pam and Joanne and the rest of the team.
0:45:37 > 0:45:40We'll see if we can give them a trial and see how they get on.
0:45:50 > 0:45:55It's the day of the sewing trials but already there's bad news.
0:45:55 > 0:45:57John's called in to cancel his.
0:45:57 > 0:45:59He's been in rehabilitation for over a year
0:45:59 > 0:46:02and his case worker thinks he's not ready for employment.
0:46:05 > 0:46:11Lisa has her trial at 10 but so far there's no sign of her.
0:46:20 > 0:46:24- Hi, is Lisa there?- Yeah, this is Lisa.- Hi, Lisa, it's Tony here.
0:46:24 > 0:46:27- How are you?- Hiya, Tony. - Are you all right?
0:46:27 > 0:46:30Oh yeah, just been a bit of a problem this morning.
0:46:30 > 0:46:35I got an Arriva bus pass, you see, and when I got to the bus stop,
0:46:35 > 0:46:38there were no other buses apart from Stagecoach
0:46:38 > 0:46:41and I didn't have the money on me
0:46:41 > 0:46:43to afford a Stagecoach bus pass as well, you see.
0:46:43 > 0:46:46I mean, is there any chance you could come later on today
0:46:46 > 0:46:48or is that going to be too difficult for you now?
0:46:48 > 0:46:50Well, that means borrowing more money you see.
0:46:50 > 0:46:53I've already borrowed the 3.70 for my bus pass.
0:46:53 > 0:46:55I mean, I don't mind giving you the 3.70 just to give you,
0:46:55 > 0:46:57to help you get in if that helps.
0:46:57 > 0:47:01Yeah? Yeah, that would be... that would be even better.
0:47:03 > 0:47:08Also booked in for a trial is Lauren. She was due at 12.
0:47:10 > 0:47:11It's now half past.
0:47:11 > 0:47:15It's probably odds against now, if she comes in,
0:47:15 > 0:47:17because I think if she was going to be here,
0:47:17 > 0:47:21chances are she would either have arrived at midday
0:47:21 > 0:47:23or she would have called, so she's probably not coming.
0:47:29 > 0:47:31It's now two in the afternoon,
0:47:31 > 0:47:35and Lisa has finally been able to take the bus to the factory.
0:47:40 > 0:47:44- Joanne, this is Lisa Murray. - Hello, you all right, love?- Yeah.
0:47:44 > 0:47:47Joanne will be taking Lisa through the sewing trial.
0:47:47 > 0:47:49I'm scared.
0:47:49 > 0:47:52Hold it there, right. Go on.
0:47:55 > 0:47:59Oh, she did fantastic, Lisa. Really good, Really impressed.
0:47:59 > 0:48:02I think she could do really well here.
0:48:02 > 0:48:06You could tell, soon as she come in, the confidence and everything.
0:48:06 > 0:48:09Just exactly like me!
0:48:09 > 0:48:12It was easy cos I've done textiles before.
0:48:12 > 0:48:15I caught on kind of quick and I was listening to her as well, so that was a bonus.
0:48:15 > 0:48:19But Joanne's decided that Lisa isn't the only one
0:48:19 > 0:48:20that should go on trial.
0:48:20 > 0:48:24Last time I did this was about 20 years ago.
0:48:24 > 0:48:26Can't believe you got me to have a go at it.
0:48:26 > 0:48:28I know, sit down, I'm the boss now!
0:48:28 > 0:48:32Yes, miss, I'll be all right.
0:48:32 > 0:48:34- Hold on a minute, I'm showing you. - Sorry. Yes, boss.
0:48:34 > 0:48:37Right, all that and then straight down.
0:48:41 > 0:48:46- Oh, look at that.- Look at that. - Look at that.- Even better than mine.
0:48:47 > 0:48:49- You've got the job. - I've got the job, yay!
0:48:52 > 0:48:57- Look at that, just flying with it. - He's showing off, he's showing off.
0:48:58 > 0:49:01- Ah, look what he did! - I can't believe it.
0:49:01 > 0:49:04That's torn it.
0:49:10 > 0:49:14Lisa may have been better than Tony but his hope of her
0:49:14 > 0:49:17being the saviour of the British factory could be dashed.
0:49:17 > 0:49:21What really is available? Is it mainly part-time or full-time?
0:49:21 > 0:49:24Well, at the moment, most of the workers that we've got here,
0:49:24 > 0:49:26most of the sewing machinists work full-time.
0:49:26 > 0:49:29We can sometimes arrange part-time work as well
0:49:29 > 0:49:32and I think that's what you wanted in the long run.
0:49:32 > 0:49:35I know you've still got to sort some things out with your granddad, haven't you?
0:49:35 > 0:49:37Yeah, I do want to do part-time,
0:49:37 > 0:49:41- but obviously, I want to work my way to full-time as well.- OK, good.
0:49:41 > 0:49:44But if Lisa's to be trained,
0:49:44 > 0:49:47Tony thinks she will need to be full-time straight away.
0:49:47 > 0:49:48So he's parking her application.
0:49:48 > 0:49:50Thank you.
0:49:53 > 0:49:57While Tony has been busy with the long-term unemployed,
0:49:57 > 0:49:59Malcolm has had his own ideas.
0:49:59 > 0:50:03He's reverted to more conventional recruitment methods,
0:50:03 > 0:50:06and found someone with sewing experience
0:50:06 > 0:50:10to take up the seat left vacant by Rebecca.
0:50:10 > 0:50:13Well, I done this 10 years ago, and only when you're just getting
0:50:13 > 0:50:16the gist of everything, it all starts to come back to you.
0:50:16 > 0:50:21Emma's done embroidery, used an embroidery machine
0:50:21 > 0:50:24which is a bit different than what she's used to now.
0:50:24 > 0:50:29But she's picked it up all right, she seems to have settled in today.
0:50:29 > 0:50:33Someone who's having difficulty settling into the factory
0:50:33 > 0:50:35is trainee machinist Sophie.
0:50:35 > 0:50:40Having both a day job and an evening job is taking its toll.
0:50:40 > 0:50:44Despite her 100% attendance record at school,
0:50:44 > 0:50:47she's called in sick more than once.
0:50:47 > 0:50:50Sophie's not in today. She was off last Monday
0:50:50 > 0:50:54and then she was off, I think, Monday and Tuesday the week before.
0:50:54 > 0:50:57So altogether she's had about four days off.
0:50:57 > 0:50:59It is quite a lot for a new starter,
0:50:59 > 0:51:02It's a shame really because she was doing well.
0:51:02 > 0:51:06- There you go, my love. There's your tea.- Thank you.
0:51:06 > 0:51:07Let's hope that Sophie comes in tomorrow
0:51:07 > 0:51:12- cos she could make a good machinist.- She can sew a sofa.
0:51:12 > 0:51:16They're never going to learn if they're staying off or they're sick.
0:51:16 > 0:51:21Also, at our age, Jo, we come in whether we're dying or not.
0:51:21 > 0:51:25I've been in here, sore throat, box of tissues by the side of me,
0:51:25 > 0:51:27I've still sewn all day.
0:51:28 > 0:51:33When Sophie is in, there's a lot for her to think about.
0:51:33 > 0:51:36It's been quite a busy week, I'm in work today and even though
0:51:36 > 0:51:39I was sick, by five yesterday afternoon, I was starting
0:51:39 > 0:51:42to feel a bit better, so I went into my other part-time job last night
0:51:42 > 0:51:48and then yesterday, part-time job tonight and then back in tomorrow.
0:51:49 > 0:51:52To be honest, I think all my days have run into one.
0:51:52 > 0:51:55I think it's all just one long day and it finishes on Friday
0:51:55 > 0:51:58and I just try to get my head down and get on with it.
0:52:00 > 0:52:01She's going to have to,
0:52:01 > 0:52:06otherwise the plan to steal jobs back from the Chinese could fail.
0:52:07 > 0:52:09Malcolm's used to suffering in silence
0:52:09 > 0:52:12but he's decided to speak out.
0:52:12 > 0:52:14He's worried that the experiment's in trouble.
0:52:14 > 0:52:18The trainees are putting the factory under stress.
0:52:18 > 0:52:20You know, it's all right to just say,
0:52:20 > 0:52:21let's bring them in and train them,
0:52:21 > 0:52:24but they need space and they need a machine.
0:52:24 > 0:52:26And you've also got the cost involved as well, you know.
0:52:26 > 0:52:30This time of year when you're just so desperate to get your orders out,
0:52:30 > 0:52:33it really is a pain to bring in trainees.
0:52:33 > 0:52:36We've got to be very careful what we do,
0:52:36 > 0:52:38but if we've no option, we'll do that,
0:52:38 > 0:52:40but is there alternatives?
0:52:42 > 0:52:46I mean, is there no agencies out there who do some training,
0:52:46 > 0:52:50so we're not having to train them ourselves?
0:52:55 > 0:52:57It's something the ladies of the sewing floor
0:52:57 > 0:53:00have an opinion about as they take their minibus home.
0:53:02 > 0:53:04It's just so hard to get all the orders out.
0:53:04 > 0:53:06- Yeah.- When you're trying to look after trainees
0:53:06 > 0:53:09and trying to get the work out as well.
0:53:09 > 0:53:10- Yeah.- It just doesn't work.
0:53:10 > 0:53:13How much production have you lost, do you reckon, Pam?
0:53:13 > 0:53:15- We're down.- We are down.- Yeah.
0:53:15 > 0:53:19Cos you're trying to help them and it's a constant thing.
0:53:19 > 0:53:21It's just mad at the minute.
0:53:21 > 0:53:24If you're only going to get people off the dole and trainees,
0:53:24 > 0:53:26I think you need, like, a proper training school.
0:53:27 > 0:53:30Although the trainees are disruptive to them,
0:53:30 > 0:53:33they're also doubtful about the number
0:53:33 > 0:53:34of experienced machinists out there.
0:53:35 > 0:53:39People who used to do machining years ago and they've got other jobs
0:53:39 > 0:53:42doing other things, they would never go back into machining.
0:53:42 > 0:53:45- Go back. No, never. - No, never go back.- Definitely not.
0:53:45 > 0:53:47- They just wouldn't, cos of the pay and everything.- Yeah.
0:53:47 > 0:53:51A lot of them, Carol, left, didn't they?
0:53:51 > 0:53:52And went to supermarkets.
0:53:52 > 0:53:54If you want to stop for 10 minutes,
0:53:54 > 0:53:55in the supermarket, they do.
0:53:55 > 0:53:57At our place, you can't just stop for 10 minutes
0:53:57 > 0:54:00and say, "Oh, I'll just sit down."
0:54:00 > 0:54:02- You've lost 10 minutes' pay, haven't you?- Yeah.
0:54:11 > 0:54:13- You've got your plans now for next week.- Right.
0:54:13 > 0:54:17At last, the battle to boost British manufacturing
0:54:17 > 0:54:20looks like it might have a chance.
0:54:20 > 0:54:23Orders are rolling in at the Kirkby factory.
0:54:23 > 0:54:25Keep the girls going as quickly as you can, really,
0:54:25 > 0:54:27cos there's just loads to do, Pam.
0:54:27 > 0:54:28Can't tell you how busy it is.
0:54:30 > 0:54:35The factory has just had £200,000 worth of extra orders.
0:54:35 > 0:54:37This is the busiest they've been in years.
0:54:38 > 0:54:40Right!
0:54:40 > 0:54:44As you can see from that board, we're extremely busy.
0:54:44 > 0:54:48That is a tenth of what I need you to do.
0:54:48 > 0:54:52So I'm going to ask you all now for overtime.
0:54:54 > 0:54:57This is the extra work the British factory has been hoping for,
0:54:57 > 0:55:00but it's driving them to breaking point.
0:55:02 > 0:55:03It's crazy.
0:55:03 > 0:55:07We're really struggling to get the orders completed by Christmas.
0:55:11 > 0:55:13In packing, Todd and Gary aren't sure
0:55:13 > 0:55:16how long their employment will last for.
0:55:16 > 0:55:19I hope we're not getting kept on just for the Christmas rush.
0:55:19 > 0:55:21I hope we get kept on more, but we still don't know, do we?
0:55:23 > 0:55:26They're not being offered a contract
0:55:26 > 0:55:28until the factory knows how long the work will last.
0:55:28 > 0:55:30- We don't know for sure, do we?- No.
0:55:30 > 0:55:32We'll just have to wait and see what happens.
0:55:32 > 0:55:35Be a good thing to know, going into Christmas, won't it?
0:55:35 > 0:55:36If we have got the job full time.
0:55:39 > 0:55:41With so many orders,
0:55:41 > 0:55:44hanging on to staff at this time is crucial
0:55:44 > 0:55:45if they're to compete with China.
0:55:46 > 0:55:50Tony needs everyone buckling down and pulling together.
0:55:50 > 0:55:52But they're not.
0:55:54 > 0:55:58A fourth employee out of the original 17 has walked out,
0:55:58 > 0:56:02and hot on the heels comes the fifth.
0:56:02 > 0:56:04- Hiya, Mary.- Good afternoon, Mr T.
0:56:04 > 0:56:06I've heard someone's left. Is that right?
0:56:06 > 0:56:09Yes, I'm afraid so. Gary Martin, Todd's brother.
0:56:09 > 0:56:12- Really?- Yeah, he went for his dinner and he's never come back.
0:56:12 > 0:56:14I haven't seen him since.
0:56:14 > 0:56:19Gary started with his brother Todd four and a half weeks ago.
0:56:19 > 0:56:22He's starting a new job on Monday which is permanent.
0:56:22 > 0:56:23He didn't even tell you?
0:56:23 > 0:56:25He's not even been to tell me, I'm afraid.
0:56:27 > 0:56:28Gary told me and the lads in there,
0:56:28 > 0:56:32but I think he was scared of Mary, telling her, so he just went.
0:56:34 > 0:56:35Could've let me know, couldn't he?
0:56:35 > 0:56:39I'm a little bit angry now, you know. Not only has he bottled it himself
0:56:39 > 0:56:42but he's actually let his brother do all his dirty work for him.
0:56:42 > 0:56:44There are ways to go, but that's not the right way to go.
0:56:44 > 0:56:47That's not the right way. It's a shame, really.
0:56:47 > 0:56:49- No, no. Another one bites the dust, eh?- Well, yeah.
0:56:51 > 0:56:54Yet again, competition from other employers has hit Tony.
0:56:56 > 0:57:01Gary's left for a job packing box files for £7.50 an hour,
0:57:01 > 0:57:03well above the minimum wage.
0:57:03 > 0:57:05I asked Mary, didn't I?
0:57:05 > 0:57:07Said, "Mary, are we getting a permanent contract?"
0:57:07 > 0:57:10She was like, "Oh, I don't know, I don't know."
0:57:10 > 0:57:11"As long as there's work."
0:57:11 > 0:57:14Yeah, as long as there's work, you'll have work.
0:57:14 > 0:57:18But I basically took that as, "If work goes slack, you're gone."
0:57:18 > 0:57:20Youse are gone. Yeah.
0:57:20 > 0:57:21We're disposable.
0:57:21 > 0:57:23The wages were rubbish.
0:57:23 > 0:57:27If you've got a house and you're working for minimum wage,
0:57:27 > 0:57:31then you are better off on the dole.
0:57:33 > 0:57:37Tony's lost almost a third of all his new starters.
0:57:37 > 0:57:39Unfinished orders are stacking up.
0:57:41 > 0:57:45And Kirkby's plans to take on China are hanging by a thread.
0:57:46 > 0:57:48Next time -
0:57:48 > 0:57:50Can Kirkby pull it off?
0:57:50 > 0:57:52This is the time when I'm going to find out whether
0:57:52 > 0:57:54the factory has a good long-term future or not.
0:57:54 > 0:57:55Orders mount up.
0:57:55 > 0:57:58The only way that this is really going to work
0:57:58 > 0:58:01is if we can get really good prices on here.
0:58:01 > 0:58:04A huge American retailer makes an offer
0:58:04 > 0:58:06but there's not enough capacity.
0:58:06 > 0:58:08That's why I'm going grey!
0:58:08 > 0:58:11Tony takes Joanne and Sharon to China.
0:58:11 > 0:58:13- Ni hao.- Hello.
0:58:13 > 0:58:16What can they learn from the Asian tiger?
0:58:16 > 0:58:19- Every factory we've gone past is textiles.- How can you...?
0:58:19 > 0:58:23- We've not got a chance.- How can we compete with all these factories?
0:58:23 > 0:58:25Sophie's not sure she's picked the right career.
0:58:25 > 0:58:29My nail varnish has been ripped off by all the fabrics today.
0:58:29 > 0:58:32And, in a race between the two countries,
0:58:32 > 0:58:35which will come out faster, cheaper
0:58:35 > 0:58:37and better than the other?
0:58:37 > 0:58:39Let's see what the numbers say when it's all done.
0:59:03 > 0:59:06Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd