A Critical response Essay

Are garment workers’ deaths at our fault? by Doug Saunders

The Globe and Mail’s No “feature debuted on April 27, 2013, for the first time. The articles’ main focus is on the difficulties that Bangladeshi textile workers must overcome in order to provide the continents’ expanding need for clothing. This essay argues in favor of Saunders’ contention that commerce between Bangladesh and Western nations fosters economic empowerment rather than causing poverty.

According to Saunders

The owners of these firms are to blame for the problem of the exploitation of Bangladeshi garment factory workers. Based on Saunders visits to the garment factories, the workers in the plants work for long hours with little or unproportioned rewards (Saunders, 2013). The factory owners focus on profitability from the Western market at the expense of the value of safety of the laborers by not putting in place safety measures. As a result, tragic incidences such as the outbreak of fire at Triangle Shirtwaist Factory and the collapse of an eight-story building that hosted garment factory which resulted in the death of more than 400 workers (Saunders, 2013). The article proceeds to highlight that North America and Europe are the primary consumers of the Bangladesh Garments because they are cheap. Thus, Saunders wonders whether the West should take the blamed for the death, poverty, and misery in developing countries (Saunders, 2013). The author, however, believes that Western nations involvement with Bangladesh is a means of economic empowerment and not associated with death or suffering of people in Bangladesh.

Analysis

In analyzing the tone of the author, the article presents an argument on the economic and social effect the trade relationship between developing and advanced economies has on the lives of the domestic laborers in developing countries. Therefore the article posed a question on whether the demand for the cheap garment from developing nations such as Bangladesh by North America and Europe influence the welfare of these countries The author explicitly uses the incidences of fatal fire outbreak and collapse of the eight-story building that hosted the garment manufacturing factory as proof for the suffering workers in Bangladesh face. However, Saunders claims that clothing bargains by developed countries do not promote death, misery, and poverty in these countries. In supporting the claim, Saunders pointed out the negligence of factory owners in ignoring safety warnings, and for that reason, they are the primary cause of the tragedies (Saunders, 2013). Moreover, the author refers to Triangle fire in North America as a reference point for positive change that Bangladesh should expect. That is after the Triangle fire all significant buildings in North America and other developed countries have fire safety equipment. The implication of the evidence is that fire and collapse of buildings in Bangladesh are an indication of an imminent positive change in the working conditions in the country. However, the author has failed to indicate the variations in the economies of Western nations and that of Bangladesh. The failure originates from the assumption that garment workers in Bangladesh can push for increment in salaries and better working conditions. Besides, the article provided sufficient insights that governments, non-governmental organizations, and policymakers from both developing and advanced countries can use in a decision-making process.

Response

In response to the article, I second the author on the argument that experiences of poverty, misery and poor welfare in developing countries do not have cause from their relationship with advanced economies. To support, several newly developed or developing countries in the world have achieved the status through the international trade with Western economies. Therefore, it is true that employment opportunities in garment industries empower workers. However, I do not support the reference of fatal tragedies as an indication of the dawn of changes in the labor sector because such occurrence in developing economies claim more human lives as compared to developed countries. But, these nations require initiatives that primarily base on enlightening workers on their rights.

Conclusion

Saunders Doug articulates the challenges that Bangladesh labor workers in garment factories undergo, efforts made in understanding the problems and possible solutions. Workers in garment factories work for unpaid overtime. Besides, they operate under dangerous and unhealthy environment. The most evident part of the entire circumstance is that the hard work of the Bangladesh garment workers aims at providing a cheap market for Western economies. But at the same time, the relationship economically empowers the country through the creation of employment.

References

Saunders, D. (2013, April 27). Are garment workers’ deaths on our hands?No. Globe and Mail Newspaper.