International Labour Laws
Labour laws, globalization and the economy.
What are International Labour Laws?
International Labour Organization
The mission of the International Labour Organization is to promote social justice and internationally recognized human and labour rights. They believe that social justice is essential to universal and everlasting peace.
Labour Laws in Canada
Canada has been a major participant in the ILO from the beginning and was a founding member of the organization in 1919.The federal Parliament went so far as to include in the Preamble of the Canada Labour Code reference to the ILO Conventions and the broadly defined principles of freedom of association.
In managing Canada's ILO participation, the International Labour Affairs Division of the Labour Program:
- Develops government positions on ILO-related issues in consultation with other federal departments, the provinces and territories, and Canadian worker and employer organizations. ILA works closely with officials of the Department of Foreign Affairs, both in Ottawa and at the Canadian Permanent Mission to the United Nations in Geneva, to ensure effective Canadian representation and involvement.
- Consults with the above-mentioned partners on a wide range of international labour issues, ILO questionnaires, reports and government positions on the development of international labour standards.
- Provides information to the ILO on Canadian labour law and practice; monitors, assesses, and reports on Canadian compliance with ILO conventions; and ensures that federal and provincial government responses to ILO supervisory bodies, including the Committee on Freedom of Association, are provided in a timely manner.
- Manages the process for Canadian ratification of ILO Conventions.
Globalization
Economic globalization refers to the increasing integration of world economics that results from the increased results from the free trade of products and services. Countries are able to share capital, production, labour markets, technology and resources and this results in lower labour costs for distributors and lower prices for consumers.
Free market capitalism is a market system in which producers are free to enter a line of business and sell their product at a price they choose. Consumers are also free to buy products at a price they are willing to accept. Free market capitalism has shown to have a positive effect on globalization because it leads to the global distribution of goods and services through reduction of barriers to international trade. As a result, there is now economic growth in both developed and developing countries.
Video on Globalization
Pros and Cons of Globalization
Pros
- Free trade is supposed to reduce barriers such as tariffs, value added taxes, subsidies, and other barriers between nations but this is not true considering there are still many barriers to free trade.
- The proponents say globalization represents free trade which promotes global economic growth; creates jobs, makes companies more
competitive, and lowers prices for consumers.
- Competition between countries is supposed to drive prices down. In many
- cases this is not working because countries manipulate their currency to get a price advantage.
Cons
- Workers in developed countries like the US face pay-cut demands from employers who threaten to export jobs. This has created a culture of fear for many
middle class
workers who have little leverage in this global game - Large multi-national corporations have the ability to exploit tax havens in other countries to avoid paying taxes.
- Multinational corporations are accused of social injustice, unfair working conditions. as well as lack of concern for environment, mismanagement of natural resources, and ecological damage.
New International Division of Labour Theory
Free trade is promoted by something known as trade-liberalization agreements which are agreements between countries that removes or reduces restrictions or barriers on the free exchange of goods between nations. Factories are located in Export Processing Zones, or EPZ's, which are regions where countries have agreed to reduce or get rid of barriers that affect global trades. EPZs are usually located near borders, airports or seaports due to the geographic advantages of these locations. Governments of poor countries often create EPZs as a way of attracting foreign investment.
A global economy without borders means that natural resources can be extracted in one area and undergo processing in another part of the world. The final products are then distributed to foreign and core markets. These activities make up the global commodity chain. Global commodity chains are complex patterns of international labour and production processes that result in a finished commodity, ready for sale in the marketplace.
Quality of Life
The HDI is not a very suitable method for determining a nation's quality of life because of the many factors they don't take in. The HDI only takes in the basic information of people rather than the important aspects of human development. The HDI is also an average so numbers and statistics may be skewed and inaccurate. The main focus of the HDI is to emphasize the fact that people and their capabilities should be the ultimate criteria for assessing the development of the country, not just economic growth.
Human Development Index
Sweatshops
A main contributor to the existence of sweatshops arises from the fact that EPZs are often not subject to the labour laws of the host country. Sweatshops violate two or more labour laws regarding wages and benefits, child labour or working hours. Popular goods made in sweatshops include shoes, clothing, rugs, toys and certain kinds of foods including chocolate and coffee.
Child Labour
How to Help Stop Child Labour
- Make a conscious effort to not purchase goods that you know are made using child labour.
- Inform yourself about the consequences and abuse that is involved with using child labour.
- Create awareness with the help of other people who have the same beliefs as you to stop child labour.
- Sensitize others by creating pictures and videos that are related to child labour so people know the horror of child labour.
Worldwide Child Labour Statistics
Modernization Theory
This theory is rooted in the idea that humans can develop and change their society, and that this change is made possible by the advancements in technology and other areas of industry. It states that societies modernize not only through processes of economic growth, but also through changes in social, political, and cultural systems. Since globalization is a predominant phenomenon in Western society, a society is considered to be modern once it shifts toward the social, economic and political systems that are seen in Western societies.
Walt Whitman Rostow developed the Stages of Economic Growth model which identifies a number of conditions that were likely to occur at each stage of economic growth. Rostow viewed traditional cultural values as a major obstace to economicc modernization in low income countries. HE argues that tradition thinking characterizie low income societies. He believe that if low income nations adopted a Western outlook on society, it would drive towards economic modernization.
Rostow's Model of Development
Nike
China and Vietnam.
Controversy arose when a picture of a Pakistani boy sewing a football surfaced. This lead to an investigation which revealed hat workers in one of its contracted factories in Vietnam were being exposed to toxic fumes at up to 177 times the Vietnamese legal limit. An Indonesian worker for Nike signed a contract that paid 14 cents an hour and documented forms of abuse.
In 1998, the CEO of Nike announced that he was going to raise minimum wages and raise minimum age and reduce working hours for employees. In February of 2001, Nike issued a report confessing the company's role in facilitating worker exploitation. The term exploitation means the mistreatment or unfair use of a person for the benefit of others.