Australian retailers Kmart and Target on Friday joined other global brands to protect thousands of garment-makers in Bangladesh by signing a major health and safety accord.
The Bangladeshi Accord on Fire and Building Safety aims to compel retailers to improve conditions and pay for factory repairs and fire safety, after the country's worst industrial accidents in April and May of this year.
"This will greatly improve safety for Bangladeshi workers in garment factories as it allows them to refuse dangerous work and mandates independent building inspections, workers' health and safety training as well as repairs and renovations to unsafe factories," said Oxfam Australia Labour Rights Coordinator Daisy Gardener.
Kmart and Target are the only two Australian companies to have joined more than 40 global brands in signing the safety pact, including Aldi, Zara and Esprit.
Target Australia Managing Director Stuart Machin said that senior members of Target's leadership team would be visiting Bangladesh in coming weeks to meet with factory owners and workers.
"Like millions of people around the world, we've been deeply saddened by the recent tragic events in Bangladesh," Machin said.
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Target has pledged to introduce surprise factory audits, ongoing building checks and regular executive visits to Bangladesh- based vendors to work on continuous improvement initiatives.
The company says it will also only use factories who are active members of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA).
Gardener said the pressure was now on other Australian retailers to follow suit.
"Cotton On, Big W and other Australian companies sourcing clothing from Bangladesh need to show they care about the workers who produce their clothing by immediately signing the Accord," she said.
"These clothing companies have the power to help prevent these tragedies, and must exercise this power now before more lives are lost."
Oxfam also called on Australian consumers to tell companies that they care about the conditions under which their clothes are made.
"No brand is too big to listen to its customers," Gardener said.