How do you feel knowing that the employee only earned 5 pence an hour, making your clothes?

Answer 1

I would rather everyone everywhere earned a 'living' wage to enable them to live, have food and a home.If you are referring to the headlines in todays papers, I have bought clothes from the stores mentioned and many more where 'designer and upmarket clothes' are sold, both in England and overseas. Virtually all the items were made abroad and in the countries where we consider the wage to be unfair. So, in short we cannot make the wages more for these poor people earning 5p an hour, but we can probably make their lives worse, by taking even that meagre salary away by refusing to buy the clothes they make. No, I do not condone people working for so little, but in a way we are still helping them. Boycotting the 'cheaper outlets' still leaves the more expensive ones who make even more money from the people who make their goods. It isn't fair - and I do donate to charities that are linked to the countries where these hard working underpaid people live. Life sadly is fairer for some rather than all.

Answer 2

I think it is disgraceful. When Asian owners under-cut other countries in order to get contracts, thousands of people elsewhere are put out of work. In South Africa the clothing industry has been decimated, with over 30,000 people losing their jobs in the clothing industry, mainly in Cape Town, because the factories cannot compete against the Asian factories in price. Some economists say that Bangladeshi women would rather work for 5p a day for 80 hours a week in a factory than work for more in the hot fields and that it is putting money into the economy thus giving a kick-start to consumerism etc. which in turn will create more jobs and so on. I absolutely refuse to buy cheap clothing in the vain I suspect hope that if enough people boycott cheap goods, Asian factories will be forced to pay their employees a living wage. Hopefully, Asda, Tesco and Primark will do something about this with all the bad publicity it has generated for them,

Answer 3

I should think that 5 pence per hour is worth a lot more in other countries .it is a negative question is it equal to £8o per week what the pensioner will get here is that equal to the low paid here and if not it should be .why does the governments over there not make it law to pay the proper rate for the job that's what must be considered

Answer 4

Tell me why is this News? It's been happening for years! No one said anything when our clothing and footware industries were hit by cheap imports. The government could have done something then. Primark and Matalan have built their businesses on these imports. Stores such as Marks and Spencers could not compete. M&S dumped Baird and instead imported clothing. Still no one said anything. Now they are trying to blame the consumer. There is nothing else left to buy instead of these imports! Put you head back in the sand again!

Answer 5

Just fine. Think how much they'd cost if they were paid £ 5.60 per hour.

Income levels are relative dependent on where it is earned. Because they earn £0.05 perhour does not make them necessarily poverty stricken, except relative to earnings in the western world.

What would you prefer - that our shirts were more expensive, and those currently making them were unemployed? How will they ever escape absolute poverty if that happened, and if you rapidly increase their wages, what will stop the manufacturers moving to an even cheaper country, circumventing the increase in pay that you seek?

Answer 6

WOULD YOU RATHER THEY GET A COUPLE OF POUNDS PER HOUR SO THAT NO ONE COULD AFFORD THE CLOTHING. IT'S THE PRICE WE PAY TO KEEP CLOTHING ON OUR BACKS. BEFORE THEY WERE GETTING PAID A COUPLE OF PENCE THEY HAD NOTHING. SOMETHING IS BETTER THAN NOTHING.
SHOULD THE FACTORIES JUST CLOSE UP AND LEAVE THESE POOR PEOPLE WITH NOTHING ?

Answer 7

Yes it is terrible that the third world country have to work so little for the rich western consumer. However, if they are not supported at all they suffer even more. I know the solution however I dont know who it works.

Answer 8

Ask yourself what they would be earning without this work? We must stop trying to impose our naive sense of right and wrong on other countries.. To the average Joe it does more harm than good..

Answer 9

I know the employee who makes my clothes does not get 5p an hour, because I do not buy the crap that Asda and Primark sell

Answer 10

I think these poor people should come over to england on the boat and milk the system like everyone else seems to find so easy!!!