working for 19cent week right/wrong?

Ogge · 2004-04-23, 10:52 AM

In Indonesia you get payed 19cents/week to work at a Nike factory, do you think its right or wrong?

1: they get payed, even if its just 19cents its still 19cents.
2: they get a place to sleep and food, the food may not ge good but its still food.
3: they dont know about the world outside so they think its a good work.
4: We get things cheaper thanks to them.

so what do you think? as you see above i think its a great thing that they got a job and that they have a place to sleep and eat instead of starving to death on the streets.

Hamma · 2004-04-23, 10:54 AM

I think it sucks because we lose jobs here in the USA.

Electrofreak · 2004-04-23, 11:01 AM

Well, it depends on how much 19 cents US is worth in their money. Its not a lot to us, but remember, our money is worth more or less in other countries. Since I'm assuming that it is still drastically less than what we make, I'm going to say that it is definately wrong.

Its really cheap and pathetic of Nike and so many other companies to move their manufacturing to poor countries, and pay the people there practically nothing to work. I mean in a way, its a good thing. It provides the people of that country with a means to make money, otherwise a lot more of them would be unemployed. On the flip side, it takes jobs from Americans as Hamma said. I think that Nike should be paying these people as much as or at least ALMOST as much as what they would pay a US citizen here (basically, give the poor saps at LEAST minimum wage.)

Another thing I find ridiculous, they charge these people 19 cents a week to make shoes which they then sell for like a hundred dollars. That is seriously messed up.

Ogge · 2004-04-23, 11:05 AM

[QUOTE=Electrofreak]Well, it depends on how much 19 cents US is worth in their money.QUOTE]

well there pay check is worth 19cent [US]

Red October · 2004-04-23, 11:46 AM

Well, like it was stated earlier. It really depends on how much 19 cents is worth. While in college one of our Proffesors was/is an Economic Consultant to the Mexican Government. We (his students) had the opportunity to visit a number of factories just south of the border (FYI, just to head off any NAFTA debate, a number of these factories have been there since the late 60's under the "Maquilladora's Program"). The workers there got free med benefits, free day care and a subsidized lunch program. If I recollect correctly, they were being payed on the average of 7 pesos and hour. I don't know the exchange rate now (and just way to lazy to look it up) I'll just use 10 peso's to the dollar: 7 x 48 hour week = 336 / 10 exchange = $33.60 USD. Not much isn't it? But we were also informed (plus we already knew) that in "non-tourist areas" that could go pretty far. They shop at stores way different than we the tourist are led to AND they are a little more self sufficient. Of course, the standard of living is WAY less than ours. There not living in middle class 1200 sq ft homes. Likewise in Indonesia, they are probally living in huts. But does that make it right? Thats the moral delimma.

But lets take this to a new twist. I recollect reading some studies where wages were increased and turnover went high. This is just an extreme example (but puts it in to perspective). In a case with a British mining company in India (I think?), The citizens were appauled when they found out how much native miners were being paid. So, with the outcry, it was demanded and granted that they would be paid half the wages where a British miner would get. The company couldn't keep the workers. The workers would work 1-6 months and quit. Why? Simply put, the wages were so high in comparison to the standard of living, all they had to do was work for a small period and that amount would take care of them for a very long time (several years). They had no expensive products to buy (since none were sold there) and they were very self sufficient (farm thier "own" lands for food, house built by themselves, etc.). Thus they had to lower the wage in order to keep the workers. One of those weird paradox's in econimics.

My own personal opinion, I think Nike is well aware of the "economics" of the situation and is exploiting it. This is unconfirmed history, but many of the major corporations-monopolies in the depression era purposely conspired to keep wages down in order to keep costs low and profits up. In Indonesia, where anti-trust laws may or may not be on the books or where enforcement is lack or corruption rampant, this could be the case.

Jennyboo · 2004-04-23, 01:57 PM

Originally Posted by Hamma

I think it sucks because we lose jobs here in the USA.

SDM · 2004-04-23, 11:03 AM

Originally Posted by Ogge

In Indonesia you get payed 19cents/week to work at a Nike factory, do you think its right or wrong?

1: they get payed, even if its just 19cents its still 19cents.
2: they get a place to sleep and food, the food may not ge good but its still food.
3: they dont know about the world outside so they think its a good work.
4: We get things cheaper thanks to them.

so what do you think? as you see above i think its a great thing that they got a job and that they have a place to sleep and eat instead of starving to death on the streets.

You really need take your Communist ass to the pol. debate forum.

Electrofreak · 2004-04-23, 11:11 AM

wow, didn't bother to try to understand what I said did you? How much is 19 cents worth in their money? Basically I'm guessing you can buy a lot more with 19 cents over there than you can over here. That is my point. However, I'm assuming that it is comparitively much less than what a US worker would earn.

Ogge · 2004-04-23, 11:13 AM

no...what i ment was that you basicly get a paycheck worth of thingys you can get in USA for 19cent

Neon Apocalypse · 2004-04-23, 11:17 AM

people living like that have a very very slim chance of getting to the US

it is sad that they are underpaid, but the people that hire them are underpaid as well

they all need money and there isnt much money in indonesia

the advantages of working there are that they get food, they can live, and they will always be employed, its a sucky life that they cant get any better like in the US, but its alot better than it could be in those parts

Everay · 2004-04-23, 11:15 AM

america needs more money coming into it, and if these bastards export jobs that would go for min wage here, yea they save money, but it still keeps money from going to american citizens, not to forget america has alot of unemployed people, more jobs state side the better.

Everay · 2004-04-23, 11:19 AM

yea, i know, but if america gets no money to its citizens, and our standards of living decrease, eventualy america will be a 3rd world country, hell it already is in some parts, i dont know the statistics but i do know that in select parts of this country people live below the poverty line. which if im not mistaken is taking in less than 9k a year. living on that little is hard. hard to do in america that is, not in indoneasia.

SDM · 2004-04-23, 11:24 AM

http://www.neosith.com/OggeLog.txt

Everay · 2004-04-23, 11:33 AM

Originally Posted by SDM

http://www.neosith.com/OggeLog.txt

i was drinking root beer as i read that, i almost spit it out.

Kikinchikin · 2004-04-23, 03:18 PM

It's completely wrong. Nike is headed by greedy sons of bitches who have absolutely no regard for human life. I have been boycotting Nike for over a year now because of this.