“Stefan Persson, whose father is founded H & M, is ranked 43 in the Forbes list of the richest people in the world, and received € 658m in share dividends last year.Anju works sewing clothes in Bangladesh for export.She often works 12 hours a day She earns just over $ 900 a year.”
This Oxfam report is about the increasing wealth of the richest people in the world. In fact, 2,043 people are billionaires, and in 2017, their fortune increased by $ 762 billion. According to Oxfam’s calculations, this is enough to put an end to extreme poverty around the world.
When we talk about bad working conditions in garment factories, we often refer to wages. I am often told that the cost of living in these countries is much lower than it is here. This is true, but when a woman has to leave her children because she doesn’t have enough money to feed them or put a roof over their heads with her garment worker salary, we have a problem. If we consider that the CEOs of the 5 largest fashion companies earn in 4 days what this mother will earn in her whole life, it puts this problem in a different perspective.
In 2016, the 4th richest man in the world received $ 1.3 billion in dividends from Zara. This man does not need this money. On the other hand, the women and men who produce the garments fast fashion companies sell work for more than 12 hours a day, in buildings threatening to collapse, without having time to go to the toilet, to eat or to drink. water to meet the targets set by their employers. The majority of women working in garment factories suffer from urinary tract infections because of these conditions, and they obviously do not have the means to pay for antibiotics. This can escalate to kidney infection, which can eventually be fatal.
The solution is not only to implement a minimum wage, nor is it to stop all garment production in these countries. Jobs are considered the best way to get someone out of poverty, but the minimum wage must be high enough and it must be respected. The minimum wage is often lower than the poverty line and often even lower than a living wage. In India and the Philippines, one out of two workers does not get the minimum wage, either because their overtime is not paid, or because the time to prepare before and after work is not considered in payroll etc. Employers are redoubling strategies to avoid paying their workers, in order to maintain a growing profit margin.
As individuals, we have a duty to ask questions, to educate ourselves and to make corporations understand that enough is enough. Already, Ivanka Trump’s company has had to shut down following its boycott. People decided not to buy clothes from her company because of Donald Trump’s policies, and the company’s lack of ethics. H&M, a fast fashion giant, has seen a 60% decrease in sales in the first quarter of 2018. This coincides with a renewed promotional effort for the “conscious” clothing line and the clothing recycling program. This proves that as a consumer, our vote counts and we vote by buying (or not).
If the data cited above shocked you, it is time to ask if you want to be part of the enrichment of the richest 1% in the world, or the exit from poverty of 50% of the world population. Before buying a garment because it is not expensive, ask where it comes from and in who’s pockets your money is really going. It’s time to make a choice between changing your wardrobe every season, or changing the world once and for all.
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