Oxfam calls on Australian brands to pay living wages to garment workers

An analysis by Oxfam Australia has claimed that a number of notable Australian brands are underpaying their garment workers despite raking in over one billion dollars in revenue last year.

According to the nonprofit organisation, Kmart Group, Big W, Cotton On, Rip Curl, Kathmandu owner KMD, Myder and Bonds’ parent company Hanes “still don’t pay living wages to the women working in their supply chains”.

As an example, Oxfam said that despite Kmart Group earning 10.6 billion dollars in revenue, the retail operator was paying workers in Bangladeshi factories producing Kmart apparel just six dollars per day.

With this in mind, Oxfam said it was “intensifying its demand for these profitable brands” to pay a living wage, with the chief executive of its Australian subsidiary, Lyn Morgain, going as far as to condemn the "inequalities".

In a statement, Morgain said: “The fashion industry is built on entrenched exploitation. With Black Friday and the holiday season approaching, brands have a critical opportunity to start paying workers a living wage for their labour. This is a vital step in addressing the systemic inequalities that perpetuate poverty.

“The women who make our clothes have waited long enough. Consumers have the right to know their money supports brands that treat workers fairly.”