As I see it, Fair Trade is just a great idea. Not everyone can see the point, not everyone agrees with me, but I just cannot stand the idea of children making my clothes on the cheap. I am not at all pleased that my electronic goods are getting better and cheaper because labourers in China are obliged to work an additional eight hours a day of unpaid overtime, on top of their already long shifts. And as for all my fruit being cheap because large international corporations are powerful enough to dominate local communities and exploit them because they are the only employer in town, it leaves a sour taste in my mouth.
The UK has well defined, long established laws to protect its workforce against employers tempted to save money on labour. There are health and safety requirements, equal rights legislation and we even have a Minimum Wage to make sure people get at least some degree of protection from low pay.
These rights have been hard fought for and won. Trade Unions have played an immense part in achieving them and this is one reason why workers in poorer countries are not allowed to become organised. Employers can keep a group of employees in hand more easily if they cannot act as one. The right to join a union or workers’ organisation of some sort is one of the most basic rights that a person can ask for. It is one of the key things on the Fair Trade agenda and is one of the ways in which things can improve.
The question I ask myself is how come we can expect all of these rights and protections for our workforce in the UK, but we quite happily let poorer nations’ workers go without such protection? What is behind this double standard?
One overwhelming reason is that it suits us. The status quo means that we can be happy that our own people are well looked after whilst enjoying cheap goods and products from overseas. It is much easier to turn a blind eye to the plight of workers hundreds or thousands of miles away and even say that it is up to others – like the international corporations that make and import such products or govenrment – to look after them.
Increasingly, though, we have to acknowledge that we do know about the situation of the world’s workers and we cannot blindly go on ignoring their suffering whilst enjoying the benefits. We must change.
