Sweatshop Labor in Bangladesh - Essay Example

Asia-Pacific Region NSWTHMN403A -SAE 2 Sweatshop Labor in Bangladesh: A Discussion and Analysis Introduction: This paper will discuss some of ethical challenges that child labour within Bangladesh and elsewhere throughout Southeast Asia necessarily implies. Furthermore, the essay will seek to define the responsibilities that corporations have as part of a broader corporate responsibility in the way they behave and interact with their employees/supply chain. Is there a universal moral code that MNC’s should abide by or does the theory of relativism apply where a company should abide by the rules of the country in which it is in? Many corporations continue to have sweatshops in third world countries and workers are often forbidden to talk about the conditions they are forced to work in. Workers are oftentimes forced to work long hours in unsafe working conditions for little pay and some are forced to start working at a very young age. I will argue whether sweatshops actually raise the standard of living in third world countries, if in fact unfair working conditions are better than no job at all, or if sweatshops are merely exploitation The Issue: When the terms “sweatshop” and/or “child labour” are used, there are a host of images that come to the readers mind. The broad majority of these are of course negative; however, a few scant positive opportunities exist with relation to the term as well. For purposes of this research, this brief analysis essay will consider some of the most relevant pros and cons associated with the existence and operation of sweatshops within the developing world. Furthermore, this paper will also seek to engage the reader with the understanding that regardless of the level of exploitation or non-exploitation that may or may not be taking place within the supply chains of many Multi-National Corporations. As such, this essay will attempt to weight both sides of these arguments in an attempt to determine whether exploitation of vulnerable/at-risk individuals and/or societies defines the means or production across the board or whether this means of production actually helps to raise the standard of living in some of the poorest and most economically depressed regions of the world (Ray & Chatterjee, 2012). Why the Issue is of Concern to the Asia Pacific Region – Specifically Bangladesh: As a means of fully understanding this question, this author will first consider the fact that almost invariably when one mentions the down sides of child/sweat shop labour, the phrase itself is nearly invariably used in conjunction with those types of labor that are required of individuals in regions such as South-East Asia; specifically Bangladesh. Although this is not the case in all situations, the sweatshop labor has become so interchangeable with this region that the distinctions between the culture of these people and the types of labor that they perform, or are expected to perform, are oftentimes blurred. As such, it is important to understand that a great deal of the goods and textiles that are produced each and every year by sweatshops serving large multi-national companies are indeed produced by sweat shop labor; oftentimes even child-labor (where child-labor is expressed by labour that has not yet reached 18 years of age). Viewpoint One: One of the greatest difficulties in discussing the issue of child labour in sweat shops is the fact that coming up with across the board judgments on such an issue does not adequately relate the entire picture of child labour practices throughout the world. For instance, in Pakistan, child labour is so rife that fully 75% of all sweatshop labourers are under the age of 14 years of age. Similarly, in other developing nations the figure is far less; oftentimes no even leaving the single digits as far as overall prevalence (Waghamode & Kalyan, 2013). However, even the single digits is nothing to be dismissed and still represents a problem that doubtless effects to educational prospects, health, safety, and development of countless tens of thousands of children each and every year. In this respect, the disregard that many shareholders and policy makers of MNCs have with relation to the existence of unfair and immoral sweat shop practices helps to propagate the very worst impressions and practices regarding such a method of production as can hope to be found (Hosen et al., 2010). Viewpoint Two: On the flip side, the life of the standard sweatshop employee is arguably better than that which would normally be enjoyed by someone else in the same economic system of the country in question. For this reason, many who support the legal and fair employment practice advocate the existence of sweatshops as a way to boost the overall standard of living and job opportunities that would otherwise exist in t a given economic system. In this way, if one considers the fact that emerging economies oftentimes do not have a high level of development and invariably do not have a well trained or educated workforce, one of the best ways for such a system to gain entry into economic development is to engage their workforce within the production front. However, rather than being viewed as a net good for the economy, one can split the difference and consider the developmental effect that sweatshops have for the domestic economy as a type of necessary evil that helps to build the training and workforce base that third world nations so desperately require in order to modernize their own economies and develop a well-trained and agile workforce capable of many means of production. Analysis of Problems Integral to the Issue: In this way, when one considers the plight of the average worker in a third world nation, the truth of the matter can usually be described adequately by relating jobs similar to or concentric around field labour, farming, and heavy manual labour. As such, even though sitting in a sweatshop and performing monotonous takes for hours on end is menial, it oftentimes is far better than the alternative labour that awaits the populations that are being discussed within this essay. Furthermore, when one considers the average rate of pay of the average sweat shop employee, the first response is to usually become incensed by the extraordinarily low wages that are being paid to these workers. It should be noted that just because wages that are experienced within sweatshops are inherently slightly higher than those that would be experienced elsewhere in a traditional domestic economy of a third world nation does not make these wages ethical or fair with respect to the overall amount that the MNC intends on selling the merchandise/apparel for (HUMPHRIES, 2013). Although it is not the intent of this author to advocate that such a practice is fair or equitable (in fact, it is the authors belief that quite the opposite is true), the fact of the matter is that these wages, as paltry as they may be, are much higher than the wages that await the worker in the general domestic economy for unskilled labour. Similarly, it is the belief of this author that merely because the opportunities provided by sweatshops may incrementally increase the standard of living within the domestic economy in question, it does not make the practice equitable and fair based on such a factor alone. Furthermore, Western MNCs are fully aware of what fair labour practices entail and how employees should be treated. As such, the inattention that these firms pay to the employees that produce their goods is reprehensible on an ethical scale. Merely because a firm or entity can get away with such a practice of extraordinarily low payment for services rendered does not make such a practice equitable, fair, or understandable. Possible solutions to overcome / reduce the impact of the issue: When considering the overall net good or net evil of the sweatshop, one must consider the individual economy as a function of what types of jobs are available to the citizenry (Doran, 2013). For instance, what is oftentimes forgotten with respect to the sweatshops that operate in various nations around the world is the fact that although conditions may be poor, wages may be low, safety may be of a secondary concern, and hours may be abnormally long, the fact of the matter is that no one is forcing the workers to take these jobs. As long as correct child labour laws (as defined by the United Nations) are in place and no coercion is made on the part of management to force the workers to produce at a higher volume or higher rate than traditional health and safety regulations permit, such a practice as sweatshops In fact, sweatshop jobs in many of the developing regions around the world are sought after by the local population. In this way, the researcher can see that although not ideal, the jobs that certain sweatshops in certain nations provide are a valuable way for the inhabitants thereof to better their station in life and provide a semblance of a modern lifestyle for their families and their children. This should not be understood to advocate such a practice world-wide. Rather, the intent of the author is to point to nations such as Vietnam and other Southeast Asian “Tiger” economies that have utilized sweatshops to rapidly train and differentiate their economies (Fors, 2012). Evaluation of possible solutions: A very real drawback to sweatshops is the very real and present threat that employee mistreatment and exploitation will occur. Since the owners and managers of sweatshops often realize that the livelihood and families of their workers depend on their salary, they are able to have near complete control over the pace and quantity of overall production, a high degree of potential for abuse is extent in nearly every sweatshop (Doepke & Zilibotti, 2010). Due to this fact alone, it is necessary for any would be proponent of sweatshops to consider the fact that it is oftentimes the case that these sweatshops do not often abide by the same labour laws that exist elsewhere in the world; indeed, they oftentimes do not abide by the labour laws that exist within the host nation. However, due to the fact that the means of forcing compliance with large MNCs is oftentimes extraordinarily difficult, such labour practices are often disregarded or a form of bribery is utilized to encourage the requisite authorities to look the other way. Further, multinational NGOs can also seek to provide a level of standards through which trade must take place. For instance, the WTO and others can provide nations with a set of guidelines for the way in which workers must be treated and the United Nations can seek to more effectively uphold and enforce the human rights framework that helps to define the way in which individuals are expected to interact with one another; both in terms of the workplace and in terms of overall international trade standards. Finally, the impact of global leaders should also be leveraged. Ultimately, almost all of the clothing and goods that are produced within Bangladesh and elsewhere throughout South East Asia are ultimately made for the more developed nations and their economies. However, many individuals within these nations have little knowledge of the abysmal conditions and/or hardships that these workers must endure as a part of their dailiy life. Moreover, whereas many of the governments of developed world, to include the United States, Canada, and Europe decry China’s record on human rights, hardly a word is breathed of the horrific sweatshop conditions that define much of South East Asia and the economic growth potential that is represented there. Accordingly, a further level of focus upon these factors should necessarily be engaged on the part of these governments as a means of determining the level of trade integration and benefits that these nations will collectively receive from the more developed world. Additionally, standards and legislation can be created within these nations that governs the way that domestically based firms could seek to interact within parts of the less developed world. Naturally, it is important not to make these requirements overly stringent; for the fear that the firms might merely relocate outside the United States or elsewhere as a manner of avoiding the penalties or requirements. This fact notwithstanding, the known danger of doing nothing has a very clear determinant; as it has been exhibited within South East Asia and Bangladesh for the better part of around 20 years now. Conclusion: Although an exhaustive report on the net positive and negative aspects for the existence of sweatshops would require a dissertation length response, the key points and topics that have been discussed within this brief analysis help the reader to understand that the true nature of whether sweatshops themselves a net good or a net evil is a highly nuanced question that is dependent on the nature of the individual sweatshop, the cultural and governmental norms that dictate the degree to which child labour is practiced, the pays sale that is involved, the extent to which the sweatshop helps the given economy to modernize and retool/retrain an otherwise under-educated and little-skilled workforce, and the way in which management respects the employees. For these reasons, the question of whether a sweatshop is good or bad cannot simply by answered and/or dismissed but must necessarily require a nuanced and thoughtful approach that factors into account each and every one of the factors that have herein been enumerated upon. Additionally, the negative impacts that have been discussed should not be understood as a reality that must be accepted. With the proper action by concerned stakeholders, NGOs, and governments around the globe, the horrific sweat shop conditions that rae exhibited within Bangladesh and elsewhere throughout South East Asia could almost immediately come to be addressed. The only requirement in order for this to be effected is for civicly and ethically minded people to champion this cause over the convenience of having readily available consumer goods at unbelievably low prices. Ultimately, society has been numbed to the real story of sweatshop labor as the result of the fact that it has been blindly consuming cheap consumables from these regions for years. However, even though it is nonetheless convenient, a level of ethical and moral concern must be exhibited in order for the stakeholder to hope to finally effect a change on this behavior. Bilbiography Doepke, M, & Zilibotti, F 2010, Do international labour standards contribute to the persistence of the child-labour problem?, Journal Of Economic Growth, 15, 1, pp. 1-31, Business Source Complete, EBSCOhost, viewed 3 November 2013. Doran, KB 2013, How Does Child Labour Affect the Demand for Adult Labour?, Journal Of Human Resources, 48, 3, pp. 702-735, Business Source Complete, EBSCOhost, viewed 3 November 2013. Fors, H 2012, CHILD LABOUR: A REVIEW OF RECENT THEORY AND EVIDENCE WITH POLICY IMPLICATIONS, Journal Of Economic Surveys, 26, 4, pp. 570-593, Business Source Complete, EBSCOhost, viewed 3 November 2013. Hosen, M, Khandoker, M, & Islam, S 2010, Child Labour and Child Education in Bangladesh: Issues, Consequences and Involvements, International Business Research, 3, 2, pp. 1-8, Business Source Complete, EBSCOhost, viewed 3 November 2013. HUMPHRIES, J 2013, Childhood and child labour in the British industrial revolution, Economic History Review, 66, 2, pp. 395-418, Business Source Complete, EBSCOhost, viewed 3 November 2013. Ray, R, & Chatterjee, B 2012, Trade and Child Labour: A Review of Theoretical Literature, Journal Of International Economics (0976-0792), 3, 1, pp. 93-113, Business Source Complete, EBSCOhost, viewed 3 November 2013. 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