The cost of cheap labor

Do you know where your clothes are made?  How they are made?  If they are cheap....are they cheap at someone else's expense.

You might have heard of the building collapse last week that killed over 1,100 people in Bangladesh.  Did you also hear of a fire last fall that killed 112 workers.  This is from the NYTimes:

'The Nov. 24 fire at the Tazreen Fashions factory, where workers were making clothes for global retailers like Walmart and Sears, has focused attention on the unsafe work conditions and low wages at many garment factories in Bangladesh, the No. 2 exporter of apparel after China. The fire also has exposed flaws in the system that monitors the industry’s global supply chain: Walmart and Sears say they had no idea their apparel was being made there.'

Many factory workers would rather pay $1,200 per 'body' as a fine if a tragedy occurs than adhere to safety standards.  One reason why... large retailers push them down so much on price that they are forced to cut corners.  So think twice the next time you buy cheap.... is the product cheap at what cost.  

Buy fair trade... make a change.  


http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/18/world/asia/bangladesh-factory-fire-caused-by-gross-negligence.html?_r=0