Skip to main content

Katies and Millers take action on safety in Bangladesh

Thanks to the great work of Oxfam supporters like you, another major Australian clothing retailer has now signed the Bangladesh Fire and Safety Accord.

This week, Specialty Fashion Group (incorporating the Katies, Millers, City Chic, Autograph and Crossroads brands) became the fifth Australian company to sign the accord, joining Kmart, Target, Cotton On and Forever New – this is great news! This now brings the number of clothing and footwear brands around the world to have signed the Accord to over 80.

It’s been three months since the Rana Plaza collapse in Bangladesh claimed the lives of more than 1,100 garment workers. Since that preventable tragedy occurred, thousands of Oxfam supporters responded by signing our petition calling on Australian retailers to sign the Bangladesh Fire and Safety Accord.

There is still a long way to go to ensure Bangladesh factory workers are treated fairly and can work in safety but this is a great first step by these companies. This has only happened because of the campaigning done by Oxfam supporters.

However, despite talking about signing the Accord, Big W is still holding out and we need your help to get them over the line.

We are also researching other Australian clothing brands to determine if they are also sourcing products from the Bangladesh factories – we’ll have more on this very soon.

Read more blogs

Bangladesh: Mst. Doulotunnesa's community has been severely impacted by climate change, with increasingly high temperatures and increasing levels of salinity in the water. Mst Doulotunnesa, along with other women from the community, attended training sessions by Oxfam partner organisation, Breaking the Silence. This training covered climate change, gender equality and women's empowerment. Photo: Fabeha Monir/Oxfam.

A revolutionary new tool measuring the costs of climate change in Bangladesh

Communities in low-income countries feel the impacts of climate change more than anyone — and those impacts are not always obvious from the outside.   Alongside the destruction and devastation...

Read more
South Sudan: Achol Ring Tong Longar, 21, washing her hands after arriving at the South Sudan border from war torn Sudan. Photo: Peter Caton/Oxfam

The Cholera Outbreak in South Sudan

South Sudan is currently experiencing its largest-ever cholera outbreak, with confirmed cases reported across multiple states. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), from September 28, 2024, to April 11,...

Read more
South Sudan: Thousands of refugees from Sudan are currently living in makeshift homes in the transit centre in Renk, South Sudan, with more refugees arriving every day. Photo: Herison Philip Osfaldo/Oxfam

The Sudan Civil War: An Overview

Nearly 13 million people have fled their homes during the recent conflict in Sudan. That’s nearly one third of Sudan’s population. A large proportion are seeking refuge in neighbouring South...

Read more