| Recently we ambushed Oxford Street shoppers for | | | | workers in Los Angeles have health and safety |
| a survey on ethical shopping. But as we pounded the | | | | problems, which could lead to serious injury or even |
| pavements of central London we found lots of | | | | death. These include bad ventilation, overcrowded |
| shoppers asking us the same questions. Why should | | | | factories which are a fire risk and unsanitary |
| we care about sweatshops? What are they? | | | | bathrooms. 63% of New York factories violate |
| Shouldnt people be grateful for any work they can | | | | minimum wage and overtime restrictions. The |
| get? If they werent working in a sweatshop wouldnt | | | | majority of workers in the US garment industry are |
| the workers be worse off? How can we change | | | | immigrant women and many are verbally or even |
| things? The answers are not always clear-cut, but | | | | physically abused and intimidated if they speak out. |
| we hope that this outline guide will bust a few myths | | | | They can also be threatened with deportation. In |
| about sweatshop workers, owners and customers. | | | | 2002 the GMB found in two weeks at least three |
| What is a sweatshop anyway? | | | | sweatshops operating in the East End of London. |
| The word sweatshop described a nineteenth century | | | | Less than minimum wage, transgression of health and |
| system where subcontractors sweated out profits | | | | safety regulations and excessive hours were all cited. |
| from the difference between the price of their | | | | How low is low? |
| product and the wages they paid. In the 21st | | | | For Nike workers in Indonesia one chicken costs |
| Century the system is still thriving. | | | | more then a days wages. Childrens cough medicine is |
| Sweatshops are generally defined as workplaces | | | | 121% of a basic daily wage and you would have to |
| exploiting manual labourers. This refers to wages that | | | | save 4 days wages to buy a pair of jeans. |
| are below the cost of living, dangerous working | | | | But what can the companies do - if they put up their |
| conditions and arbitrary discipline such as physical and | | | | prices to pay wages, sales will fall and so will jobs? |
| verbal abuse. A typical example is the Nike factories | | | | The Chief Executive of The Gap in 1999 earned in |
| in Indonesia, which according to the Clean Clothes | | | | excess of $7,000,000 - yes, seven million dollars a |
| Campaign (CCC) report in March 2002, paid its | | | | year -according to Sweatshop Watch, while the |
| workers so little they cannot afford to have their | | | | average worker in China would be paid just 23 |
| children living with them. | | | | cents-an-hour. The answer doesnt seem to hard- ask |
| The factory also refuses to buy their workers | | | | the CEO to take a small pay cut. If this seems unfair |
| protective equipment. Ironically employees making | | | | perhaps the answer is to cut the advertising budget. |
| Nikes state-of- the-art trainers may lose their own | | | | Global Exchange says Nike spends $560million on |
| feet because the factory will not provide them with | | | | advertising, that means if it spent 2% less it could |
| strong shoes to safeguard them from the heavy | | | | bring the whole of its Vietnamese workers wages up |
| machinery they work with. | | | | to a living wage, as requested by Vietnamese Labour |
| Why do people work in Sweatshops? | | | | Watch. |
| Because they have no other choice. Companies take | | | | Cant we just boycott these companies? |
| their factories to areas where wages are low and | | | | For most of us the knee-jerk reaction is to stop |
| there is less emphasis on workers rights. The cost of | | | | buying products made by sweat or child labour. But |
| living may be less then in developed nations, but the | | | | according to NGOs and The International Labour |
| minimum wage of these countries does not even | | | | Organisation (ILO), consumer boycotts can harm |
| cover this. Countries such as China are particularly | | | | workers more than the company. When sweatshops |
| attractive, not just for their low wages but also | | | | using child labour were closed in Bangladesh and |
| because of their repressive apparatus and corporate | | | | Pakistan through consumer pressure Save the |
| secrecy, which make human rights hard to patrol. In a | | | | Children, along with Bangladeshi NGOs, pointed out |
| Chinese factory contracting for Disney, workers | | | | children were merely forced into worse forms of |
| were threatened or intimidated to ensure they would | | | | labour. This was because children often brought in |
| falsify their work records and lie to any groups who | | | | 30% of a familys income. As girls were only allowed |
| arrived to monitor working conditions (CCC report | | | | to work in domestic service, prostitution or brick |
| February 2001). Foreign-owned companies keep their | | | | breaking, escaping from the garment industry was |
| costs down by not having sick pay, pension insurance | | | | not always an improvement. |
| or maternity leave. If workers demand better pay, or | | | | But, boycotts called by the workers themselves can |
| if demand dries up the company has no difficulty in | | | | be effective. Workers at Forever 21 in Los Angeles |
| packing up and leaving the country leaving employees | | | | are trying to make this multi-million pound company |
| destitute. | | | | pay the back wages they owe them. After working |
| Isnt it better then unemployment? | | | | 10 to 12 hours a day for below minimum wage and |
| The only answer to this is why should there only be | | | | no overtime in appalling conditions they are taking |
| two choices? Multinational clothing companies spend | | | | their employers to court and trying to ensure a fair |
| literally millions of pounds on advertising and paying | | | | deal for others. |
| their CEO each year- surely some of this money | | | | Further Information |
| could be spent paying workers enough so they can | | | | The easiest and most effective way to help improve |
| buy basic necessities? | | | | the lives of garment workers is to make sure the |
| Sweatshops are all in the Third World ? right? | | | | shops you buy from know you care about how their |
| No. According to Sweatshop Watch 98% of garment | | | | clothes are made not just what they look like. |