The truth behind the manucaturing of Apple, HP, Dell and Nokia
-
Salam Ala
Since you mentioned UAE / Dubai, I've found this entry in Wikipedia.. which again agree with my hypothesis regarding 'low laborer' in middle east.
Lowest wages
In the 21st century Dubai, employers pay low wages to many workers?often less than ?120 ($180) a month, for a 60-hour work week. Often 'employment contracts', if they are given, "are not worth the paper they are written on," and collective bargaining and trade unions are illegal in Dubai. It all starts in their home countries, often India or Bangladesh, where local recruitment agents promise them high salaries and generous overtime payments. In these workers' home countries they are charged a "visa" or "transit" fee, averaging 200,000 taka, or ?2,000 ($2,980), which in these home countries is supposed to be illegal. Extended families often contribute by taking out loans or selling ancestral lands to raise the money needed. Families see the money paid as an investment, since they believe the promises made to them about future wages. While such high returns are occasionally possible, this is increasingly less so today. Nowadays it generally takes the entire 2-3 year contract for them just to pay back that fee and break even.http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wage_slavery
Worse thing happened closer to 'home'...
Salam / Peace
-
Perhaps a step in the right direction would be for the electronics market to emulate the coffee market and institute some kind of credible "fair trade" branding. That way consumers can support decent conditions and wages for the factory workers if they care enough and don't mind paying a little more for their gadgets.
Salam.
thats what I am talking about fare trade branding is not a governemental movement. These are some organisations coming togather and making agreements between producers and consumers that benefit both. That could be a better solution for all.
here you can read more about faretrade and what they achieved http//www.fairtrade.net/?id=361&L=0Peace!
-
Salam.
thats what I am talking about fare trade branding is not a governemental movement. These are some organisations coming togather and making agreements between producers and consumers that benefit both. That could be a better solution for all.
here you can read more about faretrade and what they achieved http//www.fairtrade.net/?id=361&L=0Peace!
Interesting... but again it doesn't address those 'low laborer' in middle east.. which are living a much worse life than those in Shenzhen... Any solution for them? Or you just don't care too much about them..
Salam / Peace
-
quote author=Jafar link=topic=9603478.msg292762#msg292762 date=1328465989
I've visited Shenzhen many times and I know what's happening there.. the same case for those 'low laborer' in Middle East oil rich countries I know their plight too..
It's not fair to blame the Taiwanese originated "Foxconn" specifically as they themselves also has 'low margin'. Check out their financial report as they're publicly traded company.
o Foxconn which employs some 820,000 workers throughout China, is the world's largest electronics contract manufacturer by revenue. (http//online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704026204575267603576594936.html?mod=wsj_india_main)
In 2009 Foxconn or in the original name Hon Hai had $60 billion in revenue.
Terry Gou the chairmen of Foxconn is actually one of the richest people in the world.
I dont know what low margins make a company worlds biggest and the owners worlds richest?Let's simulate what shall happened.
Pressuring the "Brand Owners" -> They cutoff their contract with Foxconn -> Foxconn lay off thousands of laborer -> thousands of chinese laborer out of work.
Hmm and then what?
Thousands of chinese laborer work as maid and low laborer in Middle East?
That will be a 'worse hell' than before... Chinese low laborer in Shenzen on average still earn $200 a month with overtime they can make $300-$400 a month, in middle east as maid they shall only made $100 a month with much worse working condition as it's working all around the clock and no overtime. And as we can see from the news.. many of them constantly receive physical abuse or even rape.Let's see the other option
China adopted more labor friendly policy -> Foxconn need to renegotiate their contract demanding higher price due to higher cost -> Brand owners has two choices A accept the higher cost and increase their selling price or B seek out cheaper "Sweat Shops" elsewhere and maintain the selling price.
Most likely Brand owners will choose A, and as an effect the price of those iPads, Barbie Dolls etc.. will be higher..
Some might choose option B.. if it's available ... most likely it will be Vietnam or Philippines as it's close by..
As thus need to ensure the Vietnamese and Philippines government also enforcing "Labor Friendly Policy" as well to avoid the whole cycle repeating itself.
Addressing and pressuring the government is the most effective method.. and that includes the Middle east government. or any other government in the world. To ensure all laborer are being protected.
With respect to your opinion but I dont think those are the only ways. I dont think that its either arabic slavery or capitalist slavery. I think the capitalists like Apple and HP for example can put some pressure on their manufacturers to have better conditions for the workers, Foxconn or other manufacturers like them want to satisfy their clients. And for capitalists to take a step in the right direction (setting pressure on the manufacturing conditions) I think we consumers have to act because capitalists depend on us buying their stuff. We can not expect to have it all, we can not expect having advanced fun playthings to lower and lower prices and think that no one is getting hurt. So if we consumers accept that we can buy a Dell computer for a higher price and use it for 10 years istead of 5 or even less in order to make the capitalists make their job better then I think we can actually help them. There is nothing wrong in telling for example Apple that they should use their power of capital for the benefit of those who make the magic happen.
And about UAE you dont have to convince me that they are bad guys. I know that, I wish I knew how to help the workers there. Im talking about the manufacturers of electronics because I know that if I and others like me demand better conditions for workers by boycotting products then capitalists will demand better conditions for workers. They want to get our money and all we have to do is telling them "you can get my money but only if you provide me a product as I want it, in other words a fair manufactured, fair trade one"
Again 'our disagreement' is only on 'methodology' and not the 'objective'...
Sure!
From my POV the plight of those "Low Laborer" in middle east is still far worse than the "plight" of those "Low Laborer" in Shenzhen.
Agreed! But in the second case we can actually affect it. Low laborer in the Middle East is a much more difficult case to affect just by changing some little consumption habbits.
Peace!
-
Interesting... but again it doesn't address those 'low laborer' in middle east.. which are living a much worse life than those in Shenzhen... Any solution for them? Or you just don't care too much about them..
Salam / Peace
Of course i care about them too! brickwall
I think your question has nothing to do with the topic of this thread. Just because I am trying to have som attention for the chinese workers who manufacture stuff we use everyday doesnt mean I dont care about others.
Your question is unpleasant. -
Of course i care about them too! brickwall
I think your question has nothing to do with the topic of this thread. Just because I am trying to have som attention for the chinese workers who manufacture stuff we use everyday doesnt mean I dont care about others.
Your question is unpleasant.My apology.. sometime 'things which are unpleasant' is very effective to act as a 'wake up call'.
I'm all ears to any solution / ideas that you might have to address those 'poor slaves in the middle east'.Salam / Peace
-
My apology.. sometime 'things which are unpleasant' is very effective to act as a 'wake up call'.
I'm all ears to any solution / ideas that you might have to address those 'poor slaves in the middle east'.Salam,
I already gave my opinion about the people enslaved by the rich Arabic oil countries and what we can do for them in my previous posts, so please go back and read them carefully.
I think this last post of yours is nothing but argumentation for the sake of argumentation. That?s only time consuming and dividing.Peace!
-
peace be upon you guys as well.
low wages would not be the same illicit gains no?
just like trading for a low price -
Salam everybody,
I have to share this new podcast about the apple factory. This is a retraction made by This American Life because they discovered many reported errors about the conditions there. Please listen ti this as well in order to get the right picture.
http//www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/460/retraction -
Salam everybody,
I have to share this new podcast about the apple factory. This is a retraction made by This American Life because they discovered many reported errors about the conditions there. Please listen ti this as well in order to get the right picture.
http//www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/460/retractionShalom Aleikhem,
I can't believe what happened !! Really ???!! Anyways, thanks for letting us know, thanks to you and "This American Life Podcast" for the honesty.
Peace
----------- Student of Allah