Tuesday marks the fifth anniversary of the collapse of the five-storey Rana Plaza building in Bangladesh that killed more than 1100 workers in five garment factories. The disaster spurred a global campaign to prevent a repeat.
An agreement between brands,factory owners and unions struck soon after the disaster expires next month and a new,three-year accord has been introduced. The accord affects more than 2 million garment workers,70 per cent of whom are women.
It establishes an independent system of inspecting factories and resolving electrical,fire and building safety concerns. Factories’ safety commitees receive training,and complaints systems have been set up.
A statement from the 13 lobby groups,including Oxfam Australia,the CFMEU and the Uniting Church,said brands such as Myer,Just Group (owner of Just Jeans),Best&Less,and Country Road had failed to sign either the old or the new accord.
The statement said this showed ‘‘an unwillingness to engage with best practice,care for their workers and letting Australians know they can have confidence purchasing from their stores’’.
The 13 lobby organisations said that other brands that signed the 2013 accord,such as Noni-B,Workwear Group (Hard Yakka and KingGee) and Licensing Essentials (which produces merchandise for groups including the AFL,Cricket Australia and 21st Century Fox) were ‘‘dragging their feet and are yet to join the 2018 agreement’’.