Source: RT news
Adrian Salbuchi for RT
The human price of a recent fire at a Bangladeshi factory was over a hundred lives, reminding the world that for “western free-market democracy,” the words “human price” have another, very direct meaning.
On November 24, a horrific flash fire broke out in a 9-floor sweatshop in Dakha, Bangladesh, belonging to Tazreen Fashions Ltd., killing 117 and injuring 200 of its 1600 workers manufacturing garments for prestigious global brands like Wal-Mart, C&A, Sears and others. This tragedy shows yet again just how much multinational companies profit from the Third World’s quasi-slave labor exploitation system, marked by a total disdain for human life, dignity and justice.
But Tazreen was just the first link in the global supply chain delivering clothes “Made in Bangladesh” to stores in Europe and the US. Clearly, the factory was not a safe place to work and its fire safety readiness was appalling. The fire broke out in mounds of highly flammable yarn and fabric illegally stored on the ground floor near electrical generators.
Once the fire was put out, capitalist profit greed carried on in its “business-as-usual” mode. You see, Bangladesh has grown to become the world’s second largest apparel exporter after China, which is no longer the cheapest place to manufacture. Many of the Tazreen factory’s victims were rural young women earning as little as $ 45 a month in what has become a 19 billion dollar export industry for the impoverished country. Bangladesh dubiously ranks as global leader in paying its garment workers the very lowest wages in the world.
Categories: Asia, Bangladesh
It is quite unfortunate to have so many lives perished which could be avoided, had Bangladesh properly regulated the industry with more safety and labor rights laws. As far as the human cost, I think it comes down to supply and demand of labor force. I am pretty sure, there are 10 other village women ready to fill in the same factory job of every one that died. This everlasting pool of cheap labor is the root cause for apparent devaluation of human cost.
But, things will get better as real wages start to rise, and the unskilled labors get skilled and move on to higher paying competitors. It is only a matter of time. China went through this in last 20 years. My prediction, in 15 years Walmart would have to either raise prices or look for another source of cheap labor.