Christmas is a season for children, for giving presents and for families to come together. So it’s ironic that the people making our Christmas decorations won’t have a clue it’s Christmas and the children won’t get presents.
I came across this article of a boy called Ravi who works in Delhi. He works 98 hours, gets paid 7p an hour and he is just 7 years old. All the money he makes he sends back to his mum in Bihar.
Many people have commented on the article saying “Sadly the reality of life in India at this level means 7p an hour or else nothing per hour and resulting in starvation. Everything’s relative”
It’s shocking that people can think of this job as the only means of survival! Yes at least they are getting paid but it’s not enough to live.
Because India is a developing country everybody assumes that everything will be cheap. 7p an hour is not enough to cover rent, food and medicines- these are just the basics. The Asia Floor Wage Campaign has pledged for all workers to be paid at least 6968rupees which is £94 a month. This figure takes into account food, shelter and medicines all at the basic costs.
Do you think the Asia Floor wage is fair? Is it too much? Or not enough? Or is it “all relative”?
Showing posts with label The Unenlightened. Show all posts
Showing posts with label The Unenlightened. Show all posts
Wednesday, 14 July 2010
Wednesday, 27 January 2010
Atleast they're getting paid, right?
"Individuals voluntarily choose to work in these environments. If the wages and conditions are so bad, why would anyone choose to work there? "
When a poor person decides to work in a sweatshop it is usually to simply feed their family and provide a home. When they start working in a sweatshop they don’t ever think "where is my life going?" "What am I getting out this job?" "Do I like this job?" Questions like these are not asked by the workers as they don’t know they can ask such questions.
We choose and define our perfect jobs by looking for competitive salaries, how much we enjoy the work, whether we get along with colleagues. This is what we consider when looking for a job. The writer of the article is fortunate enough never to have worked in a sweatshop and faced the everyday struggle of a garment worker. His reality and their reality are about as close as slim-fast shakes are to McDonald’s milkshakes!
"The job in a sweatshop is better than no job at all."
What is the choice for sweatshop workers? Sit and watch loved ones starve or go to work? Is this even a choice between eating and starving? This can’t be a choice!
If the people in power share the same thoughts as the writer, it’s easy to see how we ended up with millions of sweatshops.
Check it out,
The Economics of Sweatshops
When a poor person decides to work in a sweatshop it is usually to simply feed their family and provide a home. When they start working in a sweatshop they don’t ever think "where is my life going?" "What am I getting out this job?" "Do I like this job?" Questions like these are not asked by the workers as they don’t know they can ask such questions.
We choose and define our perfect jobs by looking for competitive salaries, how much we enjoy the work, whether we get along with colleagues. This is what we consider when looking for a job. The writer of the article is fortunate enough never to have worked in a sweatshop and faced the everyday struggle of a garment worker. His reality and their reality are about as close as slim-fast shakes are to McDonald’s milkshakes!
"The job in a sweatshop is better than no job at all."
What is the choice for sweatshop workers? Sit and watch loved ones starve or go to work? Is this even a choice between eating and starving? This can’t be a choice!
If the people in power share the same thoughts as the writer, it’s easy to see how we ended up with millions of sweatshops.
Check it out,
The Economics of Sweatshops
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