Is globalisation and greater competitive pressures causing corporates to abuse labour to keep their costs down?
I think it is the case, although very often it is not the cost of the labour that is keeping their costs up. I was in Nicaragua and I was watching workers being paid 18 cents, half of what they need to live. Would it hurt the company one little bit if they paid twice the labour cost on a pair of jeans selling for $44? Now, if you add an extra 50 cents to a pair of jeans costing $44, nobody can convince me to say it is an issue of competitiveness. It is an issue of greed. This form of competitiveness drives me mad because it is an excuse for First World greed. It is going to end in disaster because you cannot keep people living in poverty for so long. I think it is downright immoral for companies to drive down costs and make contractors in the developing world use child labour. Disney is one of the worst perpetrators of such practices. Is there a need for legislation, and can pressure groups and companies like yours make a difference? I think there needs to be much more transparency and
