Reported in the news this week was the collapse of a garment factory in Bangladesh, killing at least 273 workers. Staff had been reluctant to enter the building after large cracks appeared in the walls, but were assured the building was safe and threatened with docking of their meagre pay should they refuse.
Bangladesh seems a world away, but it’s a lot closer than we rhink. One of the brands the factory makes clothing for is Mango, a Spanish company that will be sold through DJs from later this year and for which Aussie super model Miranda Kerr is a front woman.
According to the War on Want, the pressure on suppliers to keep costs low is driving them to shoddy practices such as violating building codes, operating dangerous workplaces and paying poverty level wages.
It’s up to us to tell companies such as DJs that we want them to pay a fair price for their goods and insist their suppliers operate safe workplaces and pay decent wages.
