The world is plagued with atrocities; the outrageous treatment of some people in impoverished countries may not be acknowledged here on the western front, but it still happens every single day. It is hard to estimate the actual statistics with such a topic, but the estimates given are nonetheless horrifying. There are men, women, boys, and girls in the tens of millions being used for slavery and child labour today. A life of servitude is the fate of many; sixteen hour workdays, beatings, malnutrition, and a salary of a few dollars a day is just a custom for people working in this trade. In a sweatshop in El Salvador, “37.7 percent of workers stated that they had been mistreated, 37.7 percent had been threatened, [and] 3.2 percent had been harassed sexually by their bosses” (Brooks 108). Multimillion dollar companies have been exploiting the likes of citizens in the developing world for many years. In fact, sweatshops actually originated in North America, around the mid nineteenth century. The companies using labour of this kind are the ones leading in their respected markets, the companies you may rely your whole way of life around, but they are not the companies you initially thought they were. Some of these companies, three of the biggest, include Nike, Wal-Mart, and Starbucks. With a world set on consumerism, and a want being a bigger priority than a need, can this be fixed? There are choices out there, like the ever growing Fair Trade movement, but people have to be willing to pay that extra dollar for the gratification of not taking advantage of a human being slaving away for their own leisure.
Nike, the forerunner in sports apparel, has been subjected to widespread criticism of breaking labour laws in their factories, most of which in South East Asia. Nike was created in 1972, by two men, Bill Bowerman and Phillip Knight, and now, nearly fifty years later, Nike is estimated to be worth over eighteen billion dollars. There is no question that Nike has certainly done well for themselves, but what to expense? In the early years, Nike started factories in Taiwan and South Korea, but due to scrutiny by the public, the government enforced better wages, and Nike moved out. Nike then set their gaze on other Asian countries, such as China, Indonesia, and Vietnam, where some of the lowest pay rates exist. Many horror stories soon followed that could not be kept secret forever. Workers were reported to be beaten and physically abused by the people running the factories. Some workers were exposed to hazardous material or chemicals, and some factories were even reported to be using child labour. In this world today, the use of sweatshops is the custom, especially for textiles; Nike takes the blunt of the scrutiny because Nike is the forerunner, but if they change their ways, other companies may follow suit. In recent history, Nike has made efforts, like that of their Code of Conduct issued in 2002, trying to improve the manufacturing practices. Nike’s slogan is “Just Do It”, but maybe they should “Just Stop”, stop this ludicrous behaviour.
Wal-Mart is the world’s largest retailer, a retailer that generates over half of the grocery gross income of the United States, and a company that exploits the millions. There is a reason why their prices are always lowered and always sinking. With over sixty thousand stores worldwide, there is no question that Wal-Mart has had a huge following, but at the same time Wal-Mart also has a long history of labour regulation violations. From different trade unions and NGOs, it is known that Wal-Mart has factories in Swaziland, Bangladesh, and in China, countries in where there is no freedom of association. The breaching of labour violations varies many different things, but all are infuriating nonetheless. A lot of these workers in these factories are forced to work sixteen hour days, twice the legal amount, but without overtime pay. In fact, workers are paid up to thirty percent less than the minimum wage of their respected country. Women working in the factories are not allowed maternity leave and health clinics that the factories are suppose to have, are absent. With so many families here in North America, and around the world spending all their money at Wal-Mart, and also accounting Wal-Mart’s continuous rolled back prices, it is hard to see people changing their ways. It is rich for Wal-Mart to say “Save Money, Live Better”, seeing how Wal-Mart does that exact same thing, but ignoring the countless innocent workers in the sweatshops while doing so.
Coffee is one of the leading exports in the world, ranking the top export in twelve countries. Demand has never been higher, and for that reason, it has been given the title ‘Black Gold’. With nearly eighteen thousand stores in nearly fifty different countries, Starbucks is the world’s biggest coffeehouse. Since the introduction of fair trade products in the early twenty-first century, it has become increasingly popular with people, who want to be conscious free of guilt, knowing they are not exploiting anyone. Of the three hundred million pounds of coffee Starbucks imports, only six percent is fair trade. The exploitation is horrible in itself, but when Starbucks preached that they are doing the right thing, it was not right. Starbucks has had a long lasting feud with Ethiopia, the country that gave birth to coffee. Ethiopian farmers have been taken advantage of for years, but farming is the only way of life for them. There is a lot of potential for Ethiopia, and if the farmers used the leverage they have with Starbucks, they could increase the shared retail price, and in that, make a reasonable salary. It would take every single farmer to do so, but the “workers are afraid to fight for better wages, because they might lose their jobs” (Sluiter 250). Farmers do not want to risk losing their source of income, Starbucks, as low as Starbucks might pay. That is the story with all sweatshops, not just in Ethiopia, but around the world, which makes an end in sight foreseeable. Starbucks is improving slowly, but more can be done.
What can people on the other side of the market, everyday people, people like you do, one may ask. Fair Trade has been mentioned throughout this essay, and it is gaining popularity every day. This brilliant social movement is self explanatory because it improves the trading conditions between companies and the different exports in developing countries. It demands higher prices for the workers, as well as better working conditions. It just makes sense on every level, and as long as these companies do not mind paying more, and you, the consumer, does not mind paying more, Fair Trade can be revolutionary.
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