Deluding pictures

Your Corporate Social responsibility Partner

These two pictures have been taken in May 2010, few hundred kilometers one from the other. In the two cases, it is about industrial production of several thousands pieces.

In the first one, the workers are in a well lit and ventilated. They sit on chairs and work on a table of adequate height, they are wearing gloves...

In the second one, we are in a house. The woman works directly on the floor of the main room while looking after a young child sleeping in the background. Hundreds other families of the neighborhood are also working to produce this order.

The second picture show a scary situation. Almost no equipment, one think immediately to potential child labor and of hygienic risks of working in a living room. On the contrary, the first picture is reassuring : Workers wear protections, equipments are available, it seems organized...

However, the actual assessment of social situation in this production shows results opposite to these pictures. Bamboo bowls are traditionally produced in this area. Families are organized as groups and have a balanced relationship with wholesalers. Living conditions of these families are indeed better than the one of the neighbor factory workers or peasant. Children can go to school and families have decent life compared with prevailing local situation. On the opposite in this factory producing small metal parts, even if seen conditions are good, we have found some exhausted workers, some workers were hidden to the auditor, wages were way below the law and the prevailing practice...

The assessment of social conditions depends on multiple factors. Taking only some into account could lead to assessment opposite to the truth.

Previous newsletter     --   All newsletter   --     Next newsletter

Release date: 2010-07-15

If you want to receive these newsletter directly in your emailbox, please subscribe for free here: Subcribtion

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.
Based on a work at www.wethica.com/newsletter_list.php.
Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available at contact@wethica.com.

We would love to have your comments. Please don't hesitate to use the form below

May we remind you this place is fully open and WethicA is not responsible of the purpose on the above comments . However, WethicA may decide to delete any post judge as against the politeness or the ethic.