Toiling In Thailand's Sweatshops

[Thaising]

Tuesday, June 05, 2007

The Thai government grandly calls it an "export- processing zone." A more appropriate term for the town of Mae Sot, nestled in jungle-clad hills on the border with army-ruled Burma, might be "sweatshop labor camp."

Connected to Burma by a bridge that opened a decade ago, the once-sleepy town is home to 235 mainly garment factories, manned by 36,000 legally registered migrant workers - and probably at least four times that number of illegal ones.

Despite labor laws guaranteeing legal migrants basic rights such as a standard eight-hour working day, paid overtime and a minimum wage, the regulations are universally flouted, workers say.

Conditions are harsh in the factories, most of them Chinese- or Taiwanese-owned and set up with special government investment and export privileges. Clothes are exported to the United States and Japan, among other markets.

Typically, migrants work 12-hour days, get one day off a month and are paid around half the province's 147 baht (HK$34.68) daily minimum wage.

"There were no fans and it was very hot," said Ya Zar, 38, a geography graduate from Rangoon University who worked in a knitting factory for four years before ill health forced him to quit.

"Sometimes the women got affected by the heat and fainted. A lot of workers couldn't get enough rest so they became tired and sick," said Ya Zar, who now works for the Joint Action Committee for Burmese Affairs, which promotes labor rights among Burmese migrants.

Although there was no evidence found of child labor - Thai law defines anybody aged 15 or above as eligible to work - an International Labor Organization report last year accused the Mae Sot factories of treating teenage workers like slaves.

"Mae Sot has perfected a system where children are literally working day and night, week after week, for wages that are far below the legal minimum wage, to the point of absolute exhaustion," the report concluded.

Aumnat Nanthahan, chairman of the Federation of Thai Industries in Mae Sot, 430 kilometers northwest of Bangkok, denies workers are underpaid, saying employers deduct board and food from workers living on-site, as well as administrative expenses.

"It depends on their food and where they are staying," Aunmant said. "The Thai labor law is very strict. Workers work for eight hours a day and beyond that is overtime. Maybe they choose no overtime because it is their culture."

Many workers said dormitory conditions were so cramped they could hardly sleep and the food was inedible.

"Our employer used to give us dirty water to drink and the rice was so poor we couldn't eat it," said Yin Ma, 32, who has been working in Mae Sot for four years and sending money back to her family in central Burma.

Unlike many of her colleagues, Yin Ma knew about Thai labor laws, but when she tried to complain her employer took her work permit, technically making her an illegal immigrant.

"I was scared that if I complained the police would come and I would be deported," she said.

Only when she had quit did she have the time and courage to seek help from a Thai legal charity and take her claim for 40,000 baht in unpaid wages and overtime from her former boss, a Chinese businessman, to court. If successful, the ruling could provide a major boost to the 570,000 Burmese and 743,000 Laotians and Cambodians legally working in Thailand's farming, fisheries, industrial and construction sectors.

Despite the privations, many workers appear happy, saying they are better off than being in Burma, where four decades of military rule, economic mismanagement and Western sanctions have left the economy in ruins.

Mr Song, a Taiwanese factory manager, said the low wages are still way higher than anything available in Burma. "We try to help them and do the best for them because their homes and families are not in Thailand," he said.

He declined to give the name of his factory.

Labor activists have tried to put pressure on the factories by targeting the big-name brands that buy from them. The factories have thwarted that strategy by stitching on labels elsewhere.

"We think the clothes go to the United States, but we don't know the brand," said Aung Kyaw Soe. "They sew all the labels on at another place in Bangkok."

REUTERS

[fabianfred]

I feel pity for all involved in these kind of things.... not only the abused workers..... but also the greedy management, greedy people who provide poor food at inflated prices, and everyone who makes a living or profit by causing others suffering...

they may not know it, but they are earning themselves much future suffering for many lifetimes to come....

of course they don't believe in rebirth or karma.... if they did they'd never do this

[Travel2003]

Isnt it sad how we feel for people that have to work in the sweatshops.

We sometimes see it in tv programs, or read sad articles about it.

But as soon as the shopping starts, we (people in general) are soooo happy that the prices are low, since the goods are imported.

And if we discuss it, then some will always argue and say, yes but if we dont buy it they would not have a job at all.

So sad

[ratcatcher]

Tuesday, June 05, 2007

ARMY-RULED THAILAND grandly calls it an "export- processing zone." A more appropriate term for the town of Mae Sot, nestled in jungle-clad hills on the border with army-ruled Burma, might be "sweatshop labor camp."

Connected to Burma by a bridge that opened a decade ago, the once-sleepy town is home to 235 mainly garment factories, manned by 36,000 legally registered migrant workers - and probably at least four times that number of illegal ones.

Junta-----------------------------Junta?

[November Rain]

Very sad. Does anyone have any idea which brands are made in Mae Sot, as the workers themselves don't seem to?

[solo siam]

The conditions are sad but I doubt they would be any better in Burma, in regards to the pay issue, am I misreading the OP, are they locked up or detained in the factories somehow? Surely if the pay was too low they wouldn't bother working there?

[Jingthing]

There is no silver lining to this story.

My first thought was buy fewer clothes and go naked more.

But then these poor people would lose even these jobs.

Edited June 5, 2007 by Jingthing

[kmart]

Conditions sound a lot better than "back home" in Burma unfortunately, where apparently a lot of labour is forced...

Its also very sad that a lot of those workers are university graduates; speak good English; and generally deserve much better.

However, this is more of a damning indictment of Burma and its brutal military dictatorship than of Thailand. Just hope that LOS never starts imitating its backwards Western neighbour.

[wolfmanjack]

ARMY-RULED THAILAND grandly calls it an "export- processing zone." A more appropriate term for the town of Mae Sot, nestled in jungle-clad hills on the border with army-ruled Burma, might be "sweatshop labor camp."

Connected to Burma by a bridge that opened a decade ago, the once-sleepy town is home to 235 mainly garment factories, manned by 36,000 legally registered migrant workers - and probably at least four times that number of illegal ones.

Junta-----------------------------Junta?

The problem has existed for many years prior to the current military gov in thailand.

[wolfmanjack]

Let's not forget that the Thai bureaucrats are taking payments to allow this to take place. My thai friend that has Thai Yais working in her factory had to pay over 100,000 baht tea money to get the permits. She also pays 2,000 baht per month per worker. This is the total that goes to the local police and immigration that make monthly visits.

She pays 200 baht per day which is higher than the minimum. She also provides food and shelter.

[lazeeboy]

Let's not forget that the Thai bureaucrats are taking payments to allow this to take place. My thai friend that has Thai Yais working in her factory had to pay over 100,000 baht tea money to get the permits. She also pays 2,000 baht per month per worker. This is the total that goes to the local police and immigration that make monthly visits.

She pays 200 baht per day which is higher than the minimum. She also provides food and shelter.

nike reebok,polo, to name a few of the worst companys useing slave labour to make big bucks ,unfortunatly i use all these brands ,if they were the same prices as uk i would'nt

[Thaising]

FOREIGN LABOUR / CALLS FOR CHANGES

Govt urged to protect rights of alien workers

Labour experts and human rights activists yesterday urged authorities to protect the basic human rights of alien workers. The government should demonstrate to the world that Thailand is a civilised country which recognises that all people have human dignity, said Surichai Wankaew of Chulalongkorn University.

Mr Surichai said the government's policy on alien labour focuses on registering illegal migrant workers but pays little attention to their well-being.

''A government's human rights awareness can be partly measured by the level of labour rights protection. The lack of human rights awareness was one of the deposed government's weaknesses. So, the current government should pay heed to the issue,'' said the political scientist.

He also called on the government to review strict restrictions imposed on foreign workers in certain provinces.

In Ranong, Phuket and Surat Thani, for example, alien workers are not allowed to drive motorcycles or get together with more than four other people in their living quarters. Employers also must submit to provincial authorities a list of alien workers who have mobile phones.

Rakawin Leechanawanichphan, of the International Labour Organisation, said Thai people tend to look down on migrant workers from neighbouring countries, and this has led many Thai employers to violate their basic human rights.

A recent Abac poll found 47% of Thais say alien workers do not deserve the same rights enjoyed by Thai workers, she said.

''In fact, foreign workers also contribute to Thailand's economic growth,'' said Mrs Rakawin, adding it is estimated that some 2% of Thailand's GDP is generated by foreign workers.

Human rights commissioner Sunee Chaiyarose said foreign workers in Thailand have to put up with human rights violations in various forms ranging from sexual abuse to wage embezzlement.

[Maizefarmer]

Very sad. Does anyone have any idea which brands are made in Mae Sot, as the workers themselves don't seem to?

Yes - a lot of Tommy Hillfigers' branded clothing is manufacturered in MaeSot - but it's not only TH, a lot of the other brandnames like Puma, Nike, Reebok and Puma use Mae Sot located factories.

Mae Sot is mostly clothing - brandname trainer/shoe factories are mostly located around Bangkok and outlaieing industrial estates

As already said, alot of these factories are Taiwanese and Korean owned - mostly through Hong Kong based companies.

There is another side to the Mae Sot factories that ties in directly with the thread opener and the statement made by the young girl interviewed, in which she said she was unable to id the brandname of the clothing she made.

Why not?

A lot of these same factories use the production licenses they are given by brandname owners to counterfeit clothing. They get an order for say 100 000 Nike T-shirts - but they run off 200 000. The extra 100 000 is knitted on site and packed into boxes as "blanks"i.e. no graphics silkscreened on and no lable stiched to the collar. Like this the T-shirt does not breech intelluctual property rights - and is legally NOT a counterfeit. These T-shirts are then shipped to places like Pattaya and Bangkok, to a distributor. The distributor then keeps the blanks in one warehouse, the labels in another warehouse and the silkscreening in a 3rd facility. He only brings all 3 components together when he gets an order - at the very last moment he'll send the blanks off to be silkscreened with the Nike "Swoosh"mark or the Puma puma head, or whatever, and from there to a 3rd place to have the label sown on. He'll take payment before the blanks leave his warehouse.

This happens across the range of brandname products - the trademark or brandname is kept off the garment untill the last moment. This explains why the girl who was interviewed could not id whose clothing she was working on, but if someone can say which factory then it would be easy to id the brandname. It's known in the industry as "over production", it's rampant and it's why it's usualy the small time guy who is caught and seldom the factory - the concequences for factories been caught are severe - both in terms of the fine (if it's a copy right breech of the IP law as opposed to brandname) and in terms of lost business, as they loose their contracts, news gets round and no-one else uses them.

The working conditions in a lot of these factories is a disgrace - and the the big brandname owners don't really give shit - untill and only if their particular brandname is highlighted by some or other Human Rights organisation - then they roll out the PR big time, make all sorts of bullshit statements, wait for the dust to die down, and all goes back to how it was before. As far as work conditions go - they are as much to blame as are the factory owners - remember: Nike does NOT make shoes - yup, Nike does not have one single trainer production factory in the world. Nike is a brandname and shoe designer - they sub- contract ALL shoe production to 3rd party factories Nike owns no trainer production factories - and it's the same for a lot of other big brandnames.

BTW - if u buy Levi 501's,, which say "Made in Thailand" - they're fake. 501's are only made in 3 factories worldwide - none are in Thailand (allthough other Levi types are made in Thailand).

MF

[ColPyat]

Nike is a brandname and shoe designer - they sub- contract ALL shoe production to 3rd party factories Nike owns no trainer production factories - and it's the same for a lot of other big brandnames.

Subcontractors are less of a problem, they do get inspected and mostly do work according to the standards set by the companies. Where things really get murky is the almost impenetrable net of sub-sub-contractors. The brand names know of the problem but are not exactly keen on trying to put a stop on this practice.

[marginline]

Tuesday, June 05, 2007

Typically, migrants work 12-hour days, get one day off a month and are paid around half the province's 147 baht (HK$34.68) daily minimum wage.

REUTERS

Sorry, I'm a little confused; so is the report saying that these people are earning ฿73.50 per 12 hour day or that the province's daily minimum wage is ฿294?

[pete_r]

Tuesday, June 05, 2007

Typically, migrants work 12-hour days, get one day off a month and are paid around half the province's 147 baht (HK$34.68) daily minimum wage.

REUTERS

Sorry, I'm a little confused; so is the report saying that these people are earning ฿73.50 per 12 hour day or that the province's daily minimum wage is ฿294?

In Bangkok the minimum wage is around 180 Bahts/day, so it may well be 147 Bahts/day in Mae Sot.

[pete_r]

Typically, migrants work 12-hour days, get one day off a month and are paid around half the province's 147 baht (HK$34.68) daily minimum wage.

[...]

Many workers said dormitory conditions were so cramped they could hardly sleep and the food was inedible.

"Our employer used to give us dirty water to drink and the rice was so poor we couldn't eat it," said Yin Ma, 32, who has been working in Mae Sot for four years and sending money back to her family in central Burma.

[...]

Despite the privations, many workers appear happy, saying they are better off than being in Burma, where four decades of military rule, economic mismanagement and Western sanctions have left the economy in ruins.

The conditions of work and accommodation/food described in the article are abusive, and the salary quoted (73 Bahts/day) is illegal in Thailand, unfortunately it is in line with wages in the region. In Hanoi the minimum salary is currently about 50 Bahts/day with two days off per month. I think the wages in China are not much higher than that.

[bendix]

Always a moral dilemma, this one.

On the one hand, the bleeding heart, chardonnay quaffing liberals will say it's outrageous and we should end it and stop buying the brands associated with it, etc etc etc. Which, morally, might be right.

But don't tell that to the people working in those conditions who are probably thankful for the income and if it was taken away would be much worse off.

Good thing or bad thing? I don't know.

Five years ago my firm set up an outsourcing centre in Manila. Originally it was to provide 24hour documentation transcription services to all our offices around the world. Then it was extended to other back office support functions such as graphic design, some finance functions, IT etc. Now it employs nearly 400 people. We have a stated policy of paying local salaries + 100% and it is one of the most popular employment destinations in Manila - we get all the bright graduates queueing to join us.

But, still, there are qualms. We are able to hire, for example, graphic designers in Manila for $5000 a year, instead of $60-70k a year in London, HK or Sydney.

The funny thing is, this hasnt really reduced headcount in our offices, so no jobs are lost. Existing secretaries in our offices have been freed up to do more high value work, while the document processing is done offshore.

Everyone wins.

[ColPyat]

Always a moral dilemma, this one.

....

The funny thing is, this hasnt really reduced headcount in our offices, so no jobs are lost. Existing secretaries in our offices have been freed up to do more high value work, while the document processing is done offshore.

Everyone wins.

The problem though comes when labor that does not need graduates but unqualified and easily trained labors would then be outsourced from you regional subsidiary to subcontractors and sub-subcontractors which you head office could not control anymore, and who would operate in a murky third world system in which the law depends more on who you know than what you do.

[bendix]

Yeah, i guess so.

I don't know enough about the subject to debate it (not that that's stopped me before), but i feel I'm on murky ground so will gladly give the floor to anyone else more knowledgeable.

[ColPyat]

Yeah, i guess so.

I don't know enough about the subject to debate it (not that that's stopped me before), but i feel I'm on murky ground so will gladly give the floor to anyone else more knowledgeable.

The whole subject is on murky ground, speculation and misinformation from all sides is overwhelming.

[Acquiesce]

What would these people be doing instead? Good luck to all involved.

[TAWP]

Concern has been raised about the buying public's moral complicity in purchasing products assembled or otherwise manufactured in developing countries with child labor. Others have raised concerns that boycotting products manufactured through child labor may force these children to turn to more dangerous or strenuous professions, such as prostitution or agriculture. For example, a UNICEF study found that 5,000 to 7,000 Nepalese children turned to prostitution after the United States banned that country's carpet exports in the 1990s. Also, after the Child Labor Deterrence Act was introduced in the US, an estimated 50,000 children were dismissed from their garment industry jobs in Bangladesh, leaving many to resort to jobs such as "stone-crushing, street hustling, and prostitution," -- all of them, according to a UNICEF study. ( http://www.unicef.org/sowc97/report/ )