Globalization, Multi-National Corporations and Labor

Globalization, Multi-National Corporations and Labor Rights on the Assembly Line

There is presently much controversy regarding multi-national corporations and the fact that they exploit people from Third World Countries by taking advantage of the cheaper labor present there. However, while most people in developed countries believe that they benefit from exploiting poor countries matters are actually different. With globalization governing over most of the world, individuals from underprivileged countries are migrating to territories where their abilities are better valued.

Most people in developing countries such as Bangladesh are accustomed to working for large periods of time in exchange of miserable wages. These individuals are aware that there are little to no alternatives to their present condition and that they have to comply if they want to earn a living (if it can be called a living).

Bangladesh is a land where people are subjected to a plague consisting out of poverty, atypical high rates of population growth, deficient rates of GDP, little industrialization, an increased dependence on agriculture, severe unemployment, and a large gap between the upper and lower classes. Under these circumstances, people have no other chances but to resort to working in sweat shops which are apparently tactfully overseen by some of the world's largest corporations.

To some the investments made by multinational corporations in developing countries are seen as a demonstration of support conveyed by these companies. However, this is unlikely to the truth; given the fact that people's abilities are exploited to the fullest in inhumane conditions and under strict supervision from superiors who would not hesitate to make use of physical violence in order to impose their points-of-view. Whereas a number of poor countries believe that they receive benefits from dealing with multinational corporations, they actually lose from this business. Because of their limited access to information, poor individuals are less able to discover that opportunities and techniques should not be restricted to the point where they are obliged to work in notorious factories.

Consequent to pressuring Disney to improve their working conditions, workers from the Shah Makhdum factory were left with less than they had. The corporation's decision to bail out of the territory with no regard to the people who were formerly working for it was done it cold blood, but it was a perfectly normal performance considering the conditions. Disney was aware that it would only undergo difficulties as a result of cooperating with the Shah Makdhum factory and hence it chose to refrain from having anything to do with it.

The former workers in Shah Makhdum are party guilty for their present condition. Most of them are probably certain that it was their attempt to convince Disney to better working conditions that led to their condition. Of course, it is true that given the circumstances in the territory, individuals have no other choice but to work for miserable wages. However, if people were to fight in order to put across their principles they would have almost certainly had more to win out of the exploit. Instead, they ended up with no job and longing for the miserable derisory salaries they earned from working for Disney. It is obvious that developing countries need to be assisted in ways meant to help people understand their rights and the value of their work. There are a series of individuals guilty for the situation in Bangladesh, starting from the simple worker, to the harsh employer, and eventually to large companies like Disney and Walmart.

Perhaps it is less detrimental for the people of Bangladesh that corporations decide to abandon factories there, as this may serve as a wake up call, teaching them that their lives are not reduced to slaves working 15-hour shifts for salaries that barely get them through the day and which are incomparable to the lowest salaries paid in more developed countries. Even with that, some are likely to enjoy working for low wages, since it is better than doing nothing. People are capable of performing miserable jobs when they go through difficult times and feel that a low income requiring them to work in inhumane conditions is more than sufficient.

Globalization was merely seen as an opportunity to take advantage of the underprivileged, as they are always willing to work for as little as nothing. The Hidden Face of Globalization film is more than evocative for the events happening in Third World (they can also be considered to be "Four World") Countries. Apparently, the money corporations spend having their merchandise produced in poor countries is insignificant in comparison to the money the same companies spend for manufacturing products in developed countries.