![Australian retailers: Time to take action. [Image: Wendell Levi Teodoro @Zeduce. org.]](http://res.cloudinary.com/yaffa-publishing/image/fetch/c_fit,w_300/http%3A%2F%2Fyaffa-cdn.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fyaffadsp%2Fimages%2FdmImage%2FSourceImage%2FRAFWSS2012_Ginger-and-Smart_071_87908D80-345C-11E3-91B6005056A302E6.jpg)
The Textile Clothing and Footwear Union of Australia (TCFUA) has lashed out at Australian retailers to “take responsibility for their supply chains”, following another deadly garment factory fire in Bangladesh.
The garment factory fire, which broke out at Aswad Composite Mills in Gazipur last Tuesday evening, claimed seven workers' lives and is the latest in a string of disasters to hit Bangladeshi garment factories.
According to several media reports to date, Target and Woolworths are just two Australian companies which allegedly had clothing made by companies sourcing from the Bangladesh factory.
The Textile Clothing and Footwear Union of Australia (TCFUA) has since demanded action in response to reports that Target and Woolworths had ties to the Aswad factory.
Commenting on the situation, TCFUA national secretary Michele O’Neil said it is time for Australian companies who have not yet signed the Bangladesh Fire and Building Safety Accord to do so and demonstrate their commitment to safe working conditions throughout their supply chains.
“How many lives will it take before Australian companies take responsibility for their supply chains? Another seven workers have died in a fire in the Aswad factory. This follows 1,127 deaths at the Rana Plaza in April and 112 deaths at the Tazreen factory in November last year.
A chilling death toll and we still have Australian companies sitting on their hands,” she said.
“Companies must be held to account. Intentions are not good enough. In addition to Woolworths; Rivers, Just Group, Best & Less, Coles and Pacific Brands have all failed to sign the Accord. These companies must take responsibility, now is the time to act.”
To date, approximately 90 global companies have now signed onto the Bangladesh Fire and Building Safety Accord, with a list of 1,600 factories covering nearly two million Bangladesh workers released just last week.
“Transparency, access to Unions, an enforceable living wage and safety in workplaces are urgently needed in Bangladesh’s garment industry. Injured workers and the families of those killed must be compensated,” O’Neil said.
The Bangladesh garment industry employs over four million mainly young women and accounts for over $20 million in exports.