Basically, Fairtrade say:Because other employers will be obliged to offer wages at or close to those being
offered by the Fair Trade organisation, the benefit is more widely spread than just
among those producer households which are employed by, or which supply, the
local Fair Trade organisation. Fair Trade, therefore, does not distort the market for
labour and so is not unfair to other workers who are not employed by Fair Trade
employers. On the contrary, it helps these employees as well.
But this is, in practise, bollocks. Fairtrade means that there is a higher wage paid to a small select group who then force prices up - in subsistance economies this change can mean the deaths of many workers.
In Africa I saw huge problems associated with American forces paying western wages. We paid our locally sourced labour arounf £1.50 a week. This was a good wage and many wanted the work.
The Americans paid western wages.
Can you imagine what would happen if, for example, a security company in Basingstoke started offering 150 jobs paying £3million a year, without other companies following suit.
The workers who get roles within fairtrade farms are far outweighed by those who do not, thus the economy does not force a rise in the wages of others. In fact, those who have not got a fairtrade status are selling less and so the fairtrade company grows at the expense of the others.
In the long term this will mean that, with the tiny amount given extra, comparatively, to workers, wages might double, but costs will double too, nobody will be richer and thousands starve to death along the way - it is like carbon offsetting, a tool to keep the middle classes happy and to rake in a huge profit from them which, in reality, does nothing positive and, in fact, costs hundreds of lives - much better to stop buying cut flowers from Africa than to go fairtrade - it's shit.
(offered by the Fair Trade organisation, the benefit is more widely spread than just
among those producer households which are employed by, or which supply, the
local Fair Trade organisation. Fair Trade, therefore, does not distort the market for
labour and so is not unfair to other workers who are not employed by Fair Trade
employers. On the contrary, it helps these employees as well.
But this is, in practise, bollocks. Fairtrade means that there is a higher wage paid to a small select group who then force prices up - in subsistance economies this change can mean the deaths of many workers.
In Africa I saw huge problems associated with American forces paying western wages. We paid our locally sourced labour arounf £1.50 a week. This was a good wage and many wanted the work.
The Americans paid western wages.
Can you imagine what would happen if, for example, a security company in Basingstoke started offering 150 jobs paying £3million a year, without other companies following suit.
The workers who get roles within fairtrade farms are far outweighed by those who do not, thus the economy does not force a rise in the wages of others. In fact, those who have not got a fairtrade status are selling less and so the fairtrade company grows at the expense of the others.
In the long term this will mean that, with the tiny amount given extra, comparatively, to workers, wages might double, but costs will double too, nobody will be richer and thousands starve to death along the way - it is like carbon offsetting, a tool to keep the middle classes happy and to rake in a huge profit from them which, in reality, does nothing positive and, in fact, costs hundreds of lives - much better to stop buying cut flowers from Africa than to go fairtrade - it's shit.
LordManley twitter.com/LordManley,
Wed 6 Jun 2007, 19:26,
archived)