The Human Cost of Cheap Labor

Whew!!, the holidays are over. And true to form, immediately after the festivities, shoppers scamper to exchange well-meaning gifts for something more to their individual taste. With the rush and frantic shuffle to return holiday gifts, rarely a thought or consideration is given to the working conditions in off-shore garment factories that produce so many of the clothes that American consumers covet every holiday season.

Though a fire killed over 112 workers in Bangladesh factory a little over a month ago, the devastation and lost of life is far from the minds of consumers as they crowd megastores exchanging holiday gifts. The Bangladesh factory, Tazreen Fashions, produced clothes for Walmart Stores Inc., which is distributed worldwide through Walmart stores. The fire disaster which killed 112 workers, was the catalyst that severed Walmart’s retail business with the garment supplier.

And this fire disaster was one of several in 16 months that has killed workers and destroyed inventory in factories in Bangladesh and Pakistan. Unlike domestic factories that require adherence to child labor and OSHA regulations, most offshore garment factories require very little child labor or safety practices. And the low cost of labor is almost too sweet to resist for megabrand companies whose high profits are the direct result of high volume and low costs.

$37 a month. That is the average monthly wage of a garment worker in Bangladesh. While many American consumers are out trampling and sprinting for the last 42-inch screen television or trying to get the best deal on winter apparel, garment workers in Bangladesh are paid a fraction of the cost of just one of those items.

The high demands for items during the holiday season, especially for Black Friday, makes many retailers crack down on suppliers to meet the demands of their consumers. While many of these suppliers produce the demand, safety can be comprised unknowingly to the average American consumer.

Tazreen Fashions is currently being investigated for fire safety codes not being up to date, which could have prevented the fire.

“The fire safety certification expired on June 30, but the department did not renew it because fire safety provisions had not been put in place,” states Abu Nayeem Mohammad Shahidullah, director general of Fire Service and Civil Defense.

While many believe it was an accident, the incidents reported are less then surprising. According to survivors exit doors were partially blocked by stacks of yarn and clothes and while workers were trying to flee the building, managers told workers to go back to work.

“Everyone was screaming for help. Total chaos, panic and screaming. Everyone was trying to escape and come out. I was pulling the shirt of a man. I fainted and when I woke up I found myself lying on the road outside the factory. I don’t know how I survived,” stated factory worker Nasima, only going by one name.

The garment industry in the United States is home to about 100,000 retail clothing stores that reap an annual revenue of $150 billion. Of those 100,000 retail stores only 5% of the total garments produced are made in the United States. All other garments are produced and shipped from overseas.

While in the United States the holiday season can be stressful, keep in mind the risks many overseas laborers take on to produce the discounted deals everyone loves. Is a cheap pair of jeans or a discounted winter coat worth the lost of one human life? Hmm, something to think about?

—Cory Orlando