The British clothing retailer Primark will pay out another A$11 Million to victims of the Rana Plaza factory collapse in Bangladesh.  The news comes just before the anniversary of the sweatshop disaster in which more than 1,100 Bangladeshi garment workers were killed.

There were 581 workers making clothes for “New Wave Bottoms” which supplied Primark.  90 percent of Primark’s new contribution will go to the surviving workers or the surviving families of those killed in the collapse.  The remaining 10 percent is to go to a communal compensation pot that is shared by all the 3,600 workers who suffered when the eight-floor building came down.  Last year, Primark paid $2 Million in short-term support for all workers within the Rana Plaza building, including those working for other brands.

It’s hoped that Primark’s payment will help persuade other retailers to step up and meet their obligations. 

“We hope that Primark'’s payment will bring the debate out so that people will ask other brands ‘What are you doing?’ We urge other retailers to show good faith and make a donation,” said Gilbert Houngbo, deputy director general of the United Nations International Labor Organization. 

Before Primark wrote a check over the weekend, the communal pot contained less than US$5 Million of the total $40 Million needed to compensate all the Rana Plaza victims.  Last week the ILO said only seven of the 28 international brands linked to garment factories in the building have contributed to a fund.