Matalan: almost there?

It’s maybe, possibly, good news! Matalan bosses met 38 Degrees members today at their HQ in Skelmersdale, near Wigan. They said that after all the pressure we’ve put them under, they’ve decided to contribute to the official Rana Plaza compensation fund after all.

But here’s the catch. There are two ways of donating to the fund, anonymously and publicly. And it seems Matalan want to keep their donation anonymous. Is it £3m? Is it £100,000? Have they donated at all? It’s impossible to say.

So here’s the plan: let’s ask Matalan, directly and overwhelmingly, to make their donation public. Matalan bosses said that your tweets this week were a crucial part of their decision to donate. Can you tweet at Matalan again right now, asking them to make their donation public? Please click here.

When 38 Degrees members handed our petition to Matalan today, it had over 96,000 signatures on it. Alongside more than 15,000 tweets and Facebook posts, and over 2,000 calls, they’ve certainly felt people power this week.

Matalan bosses spent a lot of time in the meeting talking about the charities they work with in Bangladesh. The passion and the pride they have for that work really shone through. So if they’ve added to that by donating to the official compensation fund, then it’s wonderful news – why keep it secret?

38 Degrees member Maria put it best:

“If they’ve actually donated to the Rana Plaza compensation fund, and if they’re proud of it, then why won’t they make it public?”

So let’s push Matalan one step further. Can you tweet at Matalan now, asking them to make their donation public and #howmuch they paid? Please click here.