A group of much-loved Australian fashion brands have been put on the "naughty list" in the lead-up to Christmas over their failure to ensure the women making their clothes are paid a living wage.
Charitable organisation Oxfam has today released its "Naughty or Nice" Christmas list , which reveals which brands have been called out for failing to make credible commitments to living wages.
“While a number of iconic brands have come on board and taken the significant first step towards ensuring the payment of living wages, others are dragging their feet,” Oxfam Australia Labour Rights lead Sarah Rogan said.
The brands on Oxfam's "naughtiest list" - including Just Jeans, Peter Alexander, Jay Jays and W. Lane – failed to make commitments to pay their workers the living wage, and hiding their factory lists.
Global fashion giant Zara also made the naughty list this Christmas. While the Spanish retailer has "made a commitment on living wages", Ms Rogan said, it "failed to publish the details of the factories where its clothes are made."
Some of the brands on the nice list this year - including Kmart, Cotton On, Bonds, Country Road and David Jones. The stores made commitments to "a clear and appropriate definition of a living wage, and at least two or three key milestones and timelines to reach those significant steps," she said.
“While the ‘nice’ brands are to be commended for leading the way, there is still a long way to go to ensuring the payment of living wages that will allow the women making out clothes to live decent lives,” Ms Rogan said.
“The fact is that right now, not all workers are being paid enough to afford a decent life for themselves and their families.”
Tearfund’s annual report assessed nearly 30 Kiwi companies on their efforts to address worker exploitation. (Source: Other)
A living wage can be defined as having enough money in a standard week to cover basic essentials including food, housing, healthcare, clothing, transport, education and unexpected events.
“A living wage is not a luxury, but is a minimum that all working people should be paid if they are to escape the cycle of poverty."
This latest report comes after Oxfam released a report earlier this year detailing "a system of entrenched exploitation and widespread payment of poverty wages."
Some of the women who spoke to the organisation for the Made In Poverty report revealed they were being paid as little as 62 cents per hour in Bangladesh.
“With just one month today until Christmas, shoppers should demand the big clothing brands they know and love do better by making a public, credible commitment to ensuring the payment of living wages, so the workers making their clothes can lift themselves, and their families out of poverty.”
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