Disney Pulls out of Bangladesh

by wha happened? 10 Replies latest social current

• 

  wha happened?

  http://money.cnn.com/2013/05/02/news/companies/disney-bangladesh/index.html?iid=Lead

  At first I applauded this, but then I realized it was the rats leaving the ship. How about making sure that anyone in the supply chain is treating workers with some level of decency? So are they basically running for the door because they were caught, paying substandard wages in substandard, or really, dangerous work conditions? What happens to the poor that relied on these jobs? It's not like they can march down the street to a Walmart
• 

  jgnat

  I used to shop at a children's clothing store that boasted that it was all "Made in Canada". My son-in-law, from Rwanda, was furious, "What, the labor from third world countries is not good enough for you?" From his perspective, industry is welcomed and needed in his country.

  Absolutely the same working conditions that we expect, must apply. Wherever our goods come from.
• 

  mrsjones5

  The clothing industry is there because the cost to produce clothing is cheap. They are not there for humanitarian reasons. When the wages go up they will move to another cheaper area. Basically they are not concerned about the workers' deplorable working conditions and for the most part neither are the consumers in the other end of the chain.
• 

  wha happened?

  exactly. The writing is on the wall that work conditions will change, therefore, driving up costs. That's why pulling out of those countries is hardly a humanitarian gesture, it was strictly dollars and cents
• 

  Glander

  The blame for 9 story Bangladesh factories that collapse and kill hundreds of workers should fall on the countries/governments who allow such construction. American corps like Disney should let it be known that they have minimum standards of not only mdse quality but working conditions and safety

  But I think that comparing the wages paid in poor countries with the same job in a US factory, is a skewed picture. It must be aknowledged that shutting down "sweat shops" in many cases is dooming the workers to starvation.

  jgnat said - " Absolutely the same working conditions that we expect, must apply. Wherever our goods come from."

  I really don't think that is possible or even wanted. Lots of people would be unemployed in countries where there is no safety net for poor, unemployed.
• 

  mrsjones5

  Trust me when a clothing manufactor is costing out how much it will be to produce a garment their first concern is not how many third world workers will not die of starvation if the clothing manufactor happens to decide to do their production in their country. It's pure dollars and cents. Where can a pair of jeans be produced for the least amount of money for a bigger profit.

  Levi's, the company I used to work for, shut down all of their owned and operated plants in the states and moved their production overseas (to Asia and Mexico). Not because of quality reasons, we had some of the best jeans making factories in the country, but because it was vastly cheaper to produce a pair of jeans in Asia using contractors (don't have to pay US wages or benefits to the workers, dont have to support the cost and upkeep of an owned factory) than keeping the jobs in the US.
• 

  Theocratic Sedition

  
• 

  Glander

  Agreed, J. The profit motivation is the driver of the system.

  If I pay $50.00 for a US mfd. garment instead of $20.00 for the same garment made overseas, I am out the extra $30.00 and theoretically have put a poor person out of work who has no welfare, unemployment insurance, etc. to survive on.
• 

  Satanus

  'The blame for 9 story Bangladesh factories that collapse and kill hundreds of workers should fall on the countries/governments who allow such construction.'

  Yes. It's the govt's responsibility to its citizens. In most cases, companies need to be forced. Force and money is what they understand. Its the nature of the capitalist system. Since unions are defunct, the govts need to step in. 'Course, the corps can simply move to another country. It then becomes the next country's responsibility, and so on. As long as there are corrupt govts that don't care about their citizens, the corps will have holes to run to.

  S
• 

  mrsjones5

  Not really Gman. The clothing industry is a multi-trillion dollar industry. Your buying that fifty dollar jean produced in the states really doesnt affect the worker making $5 jeans for Walmart.

  When Disney pulls out there will be other clothing companies ready to jump in as long as the production costs are low.