Working Conditions

Working Conditions

·         Fashion retailers source a lot of products from the Far East and less developed countries as they can get the work done cheaply in these places. But do these companies actually consider working conditions in these places and do they do all that they can to ensure the standards are as high as possible.

·         Many workers in textiles factories receive pay so low that it does not even cover what they need to live, in fact  a large proportion of workers receive three times less than what is needed to live. But do we ever think of this when making purchases?

·         The general public are aware of the terrible conditions in sweatshops across the world, but when they are put in a retail environment do they ever stop to think about this? And would we change the way we shop if we were even more aware of the terrible working conditions in some places? Or would the lower prices be able to persuade us against making an ethical decision?

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2013/apr/29/bangladesh-factory-tragedy-sweatshop-economics

Article

·         This article highlights the key points on why workers choose these jobs and the conditions they work in.

·         Although the average wage for a textile worker in Bangladesh is less than $40 a month (less than half a living wage) this is considerably higher than other available jobs in the country for example agriculture. Agriculture pays less than $1 a day, the UN state that living off less than $1 a day is living in extreme poverty.

·         The job also offers a lot of freedom for women, the textiles industry in Bangladesh employs millions of women who without these jobs would have no independence.

·         So, workers are willing to disregard the health and safety issues of working in a garment factory to receive a larger wage. This compromise seems worth it for the people of Bangladesh as they will have a job with steady hours, independence, and routine and will gain skills on the job. Until major incidents like the factory collapse happen workers are not aware of the level or danger they are working in.

·         Will conditions improve? For retailers to keep their company successful they have to source as cheaply as possible from places like Bangladesh to ensure that they can afford the transport costs of sourcing abroad. But until retailers are willing to pay more for the stuff they buy from places like Bangladesh, will the workers conditions improve?