Bangladesh Textile Factory Fire Kills 120 - look at the companies who were making bank off this unsa

A tragedy that 120 people lost their lives, I am jumping the gun but betting safety measures must have close to nil for that many to have died. More to the point, before I read a word I was thinking 'bet they were a Walmart sweat shop'...and lo and behold.....

news.yahoo.com...

EDIT- I think I ended up in wrong section, this should probably be Curent Events

reply to post by HabiruThorstein


Poor poor workers, such a sad way to die, i hope the victims families has something good come their way, not much else to say really.

reply to post by HabiruThorstein


Bangladesh Textile Factory Fire Kills 120 - look at the companies who were making bank off this

Simple solution. Move the factories back to the USA.

Originally posted by ollncasino
reply to post by HabiruThorstein

 

Bangladesh Textile Factory Fire Kills 120 - look at the companies who were making bank off this

Simple solution. Move the factories back to the USA.

Hear you loud and clear on that, good sir. The sweat shops of Walmart are the reason ive never spent a dime there

If they moved clothing factories back to the US or here in Australia, with the wages so much higher as well as much better conditions in them, the price of clothing would absolutely sky rocket. Who knows how much; 300%, 400%, 500%? No one would be buying them. They wouldn’t be making any money and they’d be shut down again and moved offshore. The sad truth is we cannot have it both ways. we cannot have locally made clothing at an affordable, sustainable price. I’m certainly not condoning the pay and conditions that the factory workers in mostly Asian countries endure (and it’s not limited to clothing - cars, electronics) but it’s literally not possible to make much of these things in Western countries with our wage expectations and condition - things like OH&S, super, redundancy funds. How much would an iPhone cost if it were made 100% in the US using US parts? At least double. They wouldn’t sell and if they don’t sell they make no profit and like all companies that don’t make any profit they go bankrupt.

As an example; I’m a chippy (carpenter). The Japanese power tool brand Makita has a budget line called Maktek. Makita power tools are blue. Maktek are red. Makita is usually still made in Japan (some tools are made in Japan but assembled in China but using Japanese parts). A good Makita electronic plane, here in Australia) usually retails for around the $200-250 mark.The Maktek, which is based on the old N1900B model but using different parts, they aren’t the same quality internally, retails for around $100. The reason is the Makita is built with Japanese parts - bearings and all of that, often assembled in Japan but more increasingly assembled in China. Maktek parts are inferior. Their bearings and other internals are made in China and the machines are built in Chinese factories similar to sweatshops by workers on next to nothing. Japanese wages are much higher, the parts are far better. It costs much more to make Makita blue then it does Maktek. Without this, they’d be no Maktek. They’d be no budget lines, like Bosch Blue (professional) and Bosch Green. Home handy men would be paying double or more for a drill or a power saw to use around the house. Those Asian factories give people a cheaper option. Bosch Blue is made mostly in Europe - mostly Switzerland but they have plants in countries like France, the UK, Russia, Japan and the US (probably more). The green line is built in China or Malaysia.

Point is, we need stuff to be made in these countries otherwise everything would be completely unaffordable. I know they work in disgusting conditions, get paid a dollar or two a day, work 12 hour days constantly but what other option is there? The only other thing I could think of is if everything was made here, industry would be hugely subsidised by the government with our money - like bailouts but permanent bailouts.

reply to post by FeelingPure

Originally posted by VOB786
reply to post by FeelingPure

 

Poor poor workers, such a sad way to die, i hope the victims families has something good come their way, not much else to say really.

edit on 27-11-2012 by VOB786 because: (no reason given)

reply to post by VOB786
Yea... £1200 / body baked into ashes to the bereaved families... not bad.. huh ? ? However, the total number of body baked into ashes was 500 + given the number of workers on duty at that time on that floor... But this figure did not suit the corporate Media.

reply to post by VOB786


1200, but pleased to annouce the company is ok. All to get cheaper hoodies/sweats/etc. This isn't how it was supposed to be