Oxfam has congratulated Myer for taking important steps towards ensuring the payment of a living wage to garment workers.
The human rights organisation has been actively engaging with Myer for five years, encouraging the brand to be more transparent as part of its What She Makes campaign. Myer has now published its factory list for its brands, including Miss Shop, Basque and Piper, and made a commitment to ensure a living wage is paid to the women who make their clothes. This is a genuine move towards more ethical sourcing and better wages throughout its supply chain.
Oxfam Australia’s What She Makes campaign works with brands in Australia to ensure the women who make their clothes are empowered to live healthy lives through the payment of a living wage, and has seen big brands in Australia like Kmart, Target and Cotton On make commitments to pay a living wage. If brands deliver on their commitment, this means enough money is earned to cover basic essentials for a family including food, housing, healthcare, clothing, transport, education and some money for unexpected events.
Disappointingly, and despite pressure from Oxfam and its supporters, Just Group (which includes well-known brands such as Peter Alexander and Just Jeans) is yet to make a commitment to publicly list its factories.
Oxfam Australia is engaging with a range of brands in Australia to ensure further positive commitments before the annual Naughty or Nice list is published later this year.
Oxfam Australia’s Economic Justice Strategic Lead, Nayeem Emran, commended Myer for its commitment.
“By taking this important step towards transparency, Myer has demonstrated a commitment to ensuring the payment of living wages – a universal human right for every working person around the world, including the women who make our clothes,” he said.
“Brands that fail to ensure the payment of a living wage are perpetuating a system that keeps women in poverty. We are proud to be building a movement that can’t be ignored and continue to work with brands and engage our supporters to improve the lives and wages of the women who make our clothes.”
