Working Rights Abroad

Should anyone in the UK be concerned about the rights of workers abroad? Many people consider that it's the exploitation of workers in other countries that's largely responsible for the abundance of cheap goods that we can buy on our High Streets today. There are other factors, of course.

The High Cost of Low Price Goods

The bulk of the UK's manufacturing has been shifted to locations in Eastern Europe and Asia is because it's a lot cheaper and the cost of transporting the goods have come down because of developments in shipping that mean there are fewer crew members needed for each ship. Lower utility and land prices, and the lower cost of building factories and offices have a lot to do with making the costs per unit cheaper, but there again, the cost of building is to some extent controlled by an exploitable workforce

This is inexorably tied in with the ecological conditions too. In many developing countries multinational corporations can use processes and chemicals that have been long outlawed in the west, causing damage to the planet as well as to the workers. It's over twenty years since a gas leak at a Union Carbide plant in Bhopal killed thousands, but over a hundred thousand people still suffer from ailments caused by the disaster.

Can This Be Sustained?

With the rise in interest in the state of the planet the rush to find ever cheaper places to manufacture is being interpreted by a growing number of people in the west as a fool's errand. Each time an area becomes popular with manufacturers the rise in workers' rights organisations, health and safety rules and laws concerning the use and disposal of materials eventually causes manufacturers to look elsewhere, and in the end, they will run out of places to go.

The governments of the countries being used want the foreign investment and employment that the work brings but then the people living there realise that the affects on their way of life might not be so great.

This has led to the rise of 'responsible shopping' where consumers can investigate to decide whether or not they should buy a particular product or a different one. Often the ethical choice is more expensive in terms of the money laid out at the till, but ethical shoppers believe that the sticker price is not the complete price that is being paid, and that there is a price that we end up paying in taxes for environmental cleanups and aid to countries where workers' rights aren't so well developed.

Labels That Point the Way

The Fairtrade mark is one of the best known ways of identifying a food or drink product where the buyer can be sure that the money they are paying is going to prop up a sustainable crop and the workers will get a far better proportion of the money than in the traditional model where middle-men take slices of the packet price all the way down to the grower. Often fair trade setups are based on co-operatives so that the producers of the crop are in control of dividing the income amongst each other and not beholden to corporations.

Another label to look for is the Good Shopping Guide. This focuses on a wide range of goods that can be bought from companies that are the most responsible in terms of human rights, animal welfare and the environment. They audit companies or brands on a wide range of criteria before allowing them to use their logo, which certifies them as a company that has a good corporate Social responsibility record.

Their criteria are not as strong as the Fairtrade organisation though, and they are far less active at ground level in developing sustainable businesses for the people who would otherwise be exploited.

Another label, this time specific to one industry, is the Rugmark, which guarantees that child labour has not been used to make a carpet or rug.

Make Your Choice With Your Eyes Open

If you decide to shop ethically, and particularly with regard to human rights and worker welfare, then it cannot be a financial decision, as it will undoubtedly cost you more, at least in the money that comes out of your pocket. But if you are prepared to take in the wider picture, then be prepared for a lot of research to make sure you make the right choice as well.