The Pros and Cons of Sweatshops:
Unfortunately, the are pros for the companies involved in sweatshops. It is efficient for companies because they can produce a lot of clothing/products without paying the workers what they deserve. This saves them money, and the businesses become richer as the workers become poorer. The sweatshop owners have the power to treat the workers how they want, in return for their misery, the owners get rich.
There are countless problems (cons) for the workers involved in sweatshops. The workers don’t earn enough money and can’t pay for health care, food, housing, and education. They work long hours and work in horrendous conditions where they can’t even breathe properly. This causes the workers to get sick, but they can’t even pay for the simplest medicines. Mothers that work in sweatshops are often kept there at night and can’t care for their children who are stuck at home. Children are also often hired as employees and don’t have the opportunity to go to school. The employees can be fired at any time for no reason, and therefore lose their income and can’t pay for anything. Companies, and privileged people living in wealthier places benefit from the suffering and pain from employees working in sweatshops.
What can government/businesses do to improve quality of life for workers?
Note: These things are all easier said than done, and are a lot more complicated in reality.
Unfortunately, the are pros for the companies involved in sweatshops. It is efficient for companies because they can produce a lot of clothing/products without paying the workers what they deserve. This saves them money, and the businesses become richer as the workers become poorer. The sweatshop owners have the power to treat the workers how they want, in return for their misery, the owners get rich.
There are countless problems (cons) for the workers involved in sweatshops. The workers don’t earn enough money and can’t pay for health care, food, housing, and education. They work long hours and work in horrendous conditions where they can’t even breathe properly. This causes the workers to get sick, but they can’t even pay for the simplest medicines. Mothers that work in sweatshops are often kept there at night and can’t care for their children who are stuck at home. Children are also often hired as employees and don’t have the opportunity to go to school. The employees can be fired at any time for no reason, and therefore lose their income and can’t pay for anything. Companies, and privileged people living in wealthier places benefit from the suffering and pain from employees working in sweatshops.
What can government/businesses do to improve quality of life for workers?
Note: These things are all easier said than done, and are a lot more complicated in reality.
- Governments can create education programs and school so that children could get some form of education and possible receive a higher paying job. Of course this would require money, which many governments obviously either don’t have enough of or don’t want to spend it on education.
- A lot of businesses can afford to pay their labourers an amount that at least allows them to pay for food and rent. Its hard to say what the best way is to ensure that they will raise their salaries. Maybe humanitarian committees should expose them, or will that cause more conflict and delay the resolution?
- As consumers, I think it’s our duty to become knowledge about the production of the products that we buy. Its hard though, because wonder what would happen if stores like Wal-Mart lost customers. Would those people working in India and Bangladesh lose their jobs and have nowhere else to work? Would it open up opportunities for them somewhere else?
- I think the key to solving this issue is education and empowering those people that work endlessly without proper pay.