Murud 1

Caroline T. Murud

Mrs. Parker 7

English 12

17 March 2017

The Sweatshop Debate

Gandhi once said There is no beauty in the finest cloth if it makes hunger and unhappiness.

With this statement Mahatma Gandhi proves that materialistic things should not mean more than

the happiness of people. Not all sweatshops create hunger and unhappiness, but yes it has been

proven that human rights have been violated inside these garment factories. Seen from another

angle, the sweatshops still provide jobs in third world countries and to get the opportunity to

work at one of these factories is sometimes better than the other alternatives in these problem

areas (which is working in the fields, on the street, etc.). This leads us to this fact: it is hard to

create good jobs for the people in third world countries without them being exploited by

multinational companies, solutions that have been presented are fair trade, law changes and

involving the media to create attention to this topic.

The concept of sweatshops go way back in time, but to realize this we have to think about

what a sweatshop really is. The GAO defines the term as an employer that violates more than

one federal or state labor law governing minimum wage and overtime, child labor, industrial

homework, occupational safety and health, workers compensation, or industry regulation

(Pugatch). Which is basically what people think when they hear the word sweatshop,

Murud 2
considering most of the articles about this topic is negatively biased. It is easy to see that a

sweatshop was not defined exactly the same back in history as it is now. In 1901 John R.

Commons came with this definition of the sweating system (which is close to equal to the term

sweatshop)

The term "sweating," or "sweating system," originally denoted a system of subcontract,

wherein the work is let out to contractors to be done in small shops or homes... The

system to be contrasted with the sweating system is the "factory system," wherein the

manufacturer employs his own workmen, under the management of his own foreman or

superintendent, in his own building... In the factory system the workmen are congregated

where they can be seen by the factory inspectors and where they can organize or develop

a common understanding. In the sweating system they are isolated and unknown.

(Pugatch).

In this 1901 definition there is no mention of violation of laws like there is in todays definition.

This may be because they did not have laws against working conditions and minimum wage or it

could be that the exploitation of workers in third world countries has increased with time.

Looking at the fact that sweatshops were not described as something negative, it is easier to see

that sweatshops (even today) are not just exploitation of workers, they are also a big provider of

jobs in these third world countries.

Murud 3

Sweatshops have been around throughout world history in different places and at

different times, but in today's society they tend to find place in developing countries. The reason
they have existed for so long is because of the economic aspect of the factories; it is as simple as

the fact that people like to save money. "For similar reasons, the Persians bought textiles from

the Phoenicians in the sixth century B.C.E.; the Venetians bought spices from Arab traders

during the Renaissance; and the Portuguese bought wool from the English in the eighteenth

century" (Spath). Throughout the history of the world there has been a trade deal like the ones

that happen with the sweatshop. It is a relationship where one side (the wealthy) "takes

advantage" of the other (the poor) because they have a superior labor force and cheap resources.

On the other hand it is not to call it being taken advantage of since both parts get positive

consequences after the trade of labor and merchandise. This is why many of the products that are

sold in western countries are made in countries like China, Korea and Cambodia. A relationship

like this has existed since even previous to B.C.E. and it has not always been seen as a negative

relationship - they had positive aspects to them (like they still do today).

The progression of the sweatshops have not really occured until recent times. A lot has

changed in the past 20 years; there have been made more laws, more labor organizations have

been established and more articles have been written to make a difference. "In the 1990s many

activists in the anti-sweatshop movement throughout North America and Western Europe focused

time and attention on the codes of conduct and voluntary monitoring initiatives being developed

by the garment and footwear industries and by 'multi-stakeholder' groups it is clear that

consumers in the US are ready to support more progressive and positive approaches." (A Short

Murud 4

History). The anti-sweatshop movement did not start before the 1990's which shows that we did

not make any progress with the factories throughout history. Up until this point people did not

see the relationship between the factories and the multinational companies as something bad.
When the public started to realize that codes of conduct were broken inside the sweatshops, they

decided to take a stand and work for better rights for the workers. They formed labor

organizations and held strikes to create an ethical workplace for everyone. Is there anything else

we can really do? (question from personal interview) "There is not really that much to do, that

isnt already being done. Holding protests and not buy clothes from brands that use garment

factories in third world countries. But since you are only one person, unfortunately, you cant

make a big difference the way it is now. " (Gardella). The anti-sweatshop movement has changed

a lot and has made people more aware of what they are supporting when they are buying

clothing, shoes etc. from factories that use sweatshops for their production of merchandise.

Examples on factories are H&M, Nike, Walmart, The Gap and Disney (Mackintyre). Before

sweatshops became such a discussed topic, people did not know which brands used sweatshops

and which did not, so after many articles that have put the affairs that happen inside some

sweatshop in the spotlight; people have enough knowledge to make their own choice if they want

to support these affairs or not.

Today many laws have been created to protect the sweatshop workers. "The Fair Labor

Standards Act of 1938 (FLSA) was drafted to protect workers' rights and establish equal grounds

for communication between labor and management." (Pena). The FLSA includes rules and

regulations about minimum wage, extended hours pay, youth employment status and

Murud 5

recordkeeping. This act was made to create a better workplace for all workers and it applies to

employees in the private sector (sweatshops) as well as the local, state and federal government. "

Federal Law mandates that children 14-15 years of age cannot work more than 3 hours on
school days, and 8 hours on non-school days." (Pena). Child labor have been found used in

sweatshop factories even though the FLSA states that this is unethical. Unfortunately there is not

many consequences to breaking this act because it is an international affair. Many human rights

are also broken in the sweatshops. In a personal interview the question about which human rights

that were often violated were asked; "There are many, but a couple examples are locking peoples

within the buildings and not allowing them to leave, the right to receive equal pay for equal work

(without any discrimination) and that everyone has the right to rest and leisure, including

reasonable limitation of working hours and periodic holidays with pay." (Gardella). It is

important to take into consideration that laws and rights are not violated in every sweatshop in

the world. The laws against violations like these are made to protect workers, but that does not

help if the laws are being broken. On another side, the labor in sweatshop is not forced labor and

many people choose to work there because it is better than the alternatives. "Why take a factory

job at all? Blattman says factories act as a kind of safety net for workers who need a steady

source of temporary income, and for those who have few options in the informal sector. "

(Coren). In third world countries there are not very many job opportunities, many might also be

dangerous. The factories provide jobs that are not physically exhausting like working in

construction and in the fields. Jobs that might appeal more to women and children - even though

it violates the laws against child labor, some families may rely on an extra income to survive and

Murud 6

therefore the children has to work. "... the US National Bureau of Economics Research found

low-wage factoriesoften known as sweatshops were dangerous, undesirable and paid even

less than self-employment in the informal sector. But, the researchers concluded, countries were

still better off than not having those jobs at all." (Coren). As a conclusion to the progress of
sweatshop, it is easy to see that the factories help the economy in the countries and create jobs.

On another hand, rules and regulations are still broken, human rights are violated and people are

being exploited, but progress have been made over the years and there are still work in progress

to make the sweatshops better.

How do sweatshops affect us here in the Western world? "Companies like H&M, Nike,

The Gap and Walmart all use garment factories in third world countries, so in that way if you

buy clothes from a company that use sweatshop factories, you are in a way supporting

sweatshop labor. The sweatshops also gives the companies the opportunity to lower the prices,

so that is how we can buy cheap clothes here in the western world." (Gardella). In our society

many thoughts pop into our heads when people hear the word sweatshop, mostly negative

thoughts. This is because of all the headlines about exploitation, pictures of masses of people

working on one floor and of small children working long hours instead of going to school.

Pictures from inside sweatshops (see appendix 1) are spread around the media and it is pictures

like this that create the concerns about this topic. "Outlets such as H&M can sell hoodies for as

little as $25 because Cambodian women (almost all the workers are women) will sew for roughly

50 cents per hour Cambodia's clothing factories are notoriously unpleasant. They're hot and

loud. Workers routinely flop on the floor in mass fainting episodes. Last year, strikes for better

pay

Murud 7

were crushed by authorities who shot dozens dead." (Winn). Articles like this one present the

extreme side of the issue and this creates worry, concern and make people feel empathy for the

workers. The pros of sweatshops might seem hidden behind the side that the media presents, but

it does not mean that is it not there. "The same is true in Bangladesh, where some 4,500 garment
factories employ approximately 4 million workers. In the grand scheme of things, they are better

off with the factories than they would be without them; the benefits outweigh the risks." (Powell).

The positive side of sweatshops is that they create crucial jobs in problem areas where no one

really is well off. The workers need their jobs to feed their families, buy clothes and supplies for

their homes and survive. Since the factories mostly employed women, and they have a smaller

chance of getting another job, it gives people an opportunity to create dual-earner families. On

the other side there are also many negative sides to sweatshops, considering the exploitation.

"One day, while working in a sweatshop, she said her employers were cleaning the ceiling with a

particularly toxic chemical. Workers werent allowed to leave the room, and the chemicals filled

the air, making it hard to breathe. It was too much for some to handle. Several workers passed

out and had to be taken to a hospital out of town." (Jarvis). The conditions inside some

sweatshops are as bad as this previous sweatshop worker tells, some might even be worse. All of

the affairs that happen inside the factories are not being shared with media and the public.

Workers are being exploited so multinational companies can make more millions, they save

during production because they use low-wage labor, cheap contractors and factory buildings in

poor conditions. Question from my personal interview: Many multinational companies are

saying things such as We dont own the facilities; they are contractors. If they are doing the

Murud 8

wrong thing, it is not our responsibility., whose responsibility do you think it is to make sure

that no human rights are violated and why? "I think that is everyone's responsibility. It is the

CEOs responsibility to make sure they use good contractors and check up on their factories. It is

the contractor's responsibility to make sure the workers are in a good environment at their

workplace. It is the sweatshop workers responsibility to take a stand and do something about the
way they are being treated. And it is everyone elses responsibility to speak up if they see others

being taken advantage of." (Gardella). The fact that companies blame it on their contactors, who

they have hired, makes it a bigger problem. There is no one that is willing to face the

consequences and therefore there is no one to change the unethical affairs that are happening

inside their factories.

The biggest solutions that have been presented to stop exploitation of workers in third

world countries are fair-trade factories. "Olivo said when the new fair-wage factory was opened

six years ago, she was able to rescue her family from a life of poverty. The previous factory she

worked at closed down, forcing her to withdraw the children from school because she couldnt

afford to send them any longer." (Jarvis). This fair-wage factory saved Olivo and many other

workers after their previous workplace got shut down because of violations of human rights.

Now they get three times the standard wages, medical insurance and the factory has a doctor on

site to treat any urgent medical needs (Jarvis). Creating more factories like this in third world

countries will make sure that less workers rights are violated, but still create secure jobs. Another

solution is to encourage the government enforcement of current regulations (Lombardo). There is

no doubt that there are laws against the violations that are being made inside the sweatshops, but

Murud 9

not all of them are being enforced (especially in countries where the economy is not good

enough to fund these resources). In many countries the factories exist just under the radar, so by

being more dedicated about finding and enforcing human rights and current labor regulations the

workers would be able to fight for their rights without the fear of losing their jobs (Lombardo).
 This leads us to this fact: it is hard to create good jobs for the people in third world

countries without them being exploited by multinational companies, solutions that have been

presented are fair trade, law changes and involving the media to create attention to this topic. In

the debate about sweatshops, there is no right or wrong answer. The truth is that progress has

been made since the sweating system started previous to B.C.E, laws and regulations have been

constituted and society have taken a stand to protect their fellow citizens. Sweatshops still exist

all over the world today, but the conditions have improved and they will keep on improving in

the future.

Murud 10
Appendix 1. This picture shows the factory floor inside a Nike sweatshop. There is easy to see that there

is way too many people to work in such a little space. We can also see that there is mostly women

working in this garment factory. Almost all of the workers are wearing the same clothing, which means

they are on "the same level" as workers.

Murud 11

Works cited
"A Short History of the Ethical Consumer/Anti-Sweatshop Movement in the USA". "Organic

Consumers Association". N.p. 15 March 2007. Date of Access: 14 March 2017.

https://www.organicconsumers.org/news/short-history-ethical-consumeranti-

sweatshop-movement-usa

Buzzard, Justin. "Quit the Sweatshop". "Justin Buzzard". N.p. 24 August 2012. Date of access:

19 February. http://www.justinbuzzard.net/2012/08/24/quit-the-sweatshop/

Coren, Michael J. "New research finds sweatshops may be a necessary evil in the development

of economies". "Quartz". N.p. 7 October 2016. Date of access: 12 March 2017.

https://qz.com/800707/new-research-finds-sweatshops-may-be-a-necessary-evil-in-th

e-development-of-economies/

Gardella, Robert C. Personal interview. 28 February 2017.

Jarvis, Jake. "Sweatshop worker shares story, hopes to inspire". "The DA". N.p. 1 March 2016.

Date of access: 20 February 2017. http://www.thedaonline.com/news/article_

570ce1be-df80-11e5-8400-df73beb88fbb.html

Lombardo, Crystal. "4 Solutions to Sweatshops". "Visionlaunch". N.p. 13 January 2017. Date of

access: 16 March 2017. http://visionlaunch.com/4-solutions-sweatshops/#

Macintyre, David. "10 Major Clothing Brands Caught in Shocking Sweatshop Scandals". "The

Richest". N.p. 8 July 2014. Date of Access: 13 March 2017.

http://www.therichest.com/rich-list/most-shocking/10-major-clothing-brands-caught

Murud 12

-in-shocking-sweatshop-scandals/

Pena, Carlos D. "Sweatshop labor laws". "Legal Beagle". N.p. N.d. Date of access: 8 March

2017. http://legalbeagle.com/5471495-sweatshop-labor-laws.html
Powell, Benjamin. "Sweatshops in Bangladesh Improve the Lives of their Workers, and Boost

Growth". "Forbes". Capital Flows. 2 May 2013. Date of access: 6 March 2017.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/realspin/2013/05/02/sweatshops-in-bangladesh-improv

e-the-lives-of-their-workers-and-boost-growth/#527d2acf74ce

Pugatch, Todd. "Historical Development of the Sweatshop". N.p. 30 April 1998. Date of

Access: 21 February 2017. http://www.unc.edu/~andrewsr/ints092/sweat.html

Spath, Stefan. "The Virtues of Sweatshops". "FEE Foundation for Economic Education". N.p.

1 March 2002. Date of Access: 15 February 2017.

https://fee.org/articles/the-virtues-of-sweatshops/

Winn, Patrick. "Inside Cambodia's abusive sweatshops". "The Week". N.p. 11 April 2015. Date

of Access: 8 February 2017.

http://theweek.com/articles/546995/inside-cambodias-abusive-sweatshops