Underpaid Workers Essay

3356 Words14 Pages
Introduction Under paid workers are subjected to long hours of work without commensurate remuneration. Abysmal work conditions, violation of labor rights, and use of child labor is the norm rather than exception in the supply chains of multi-national organizations, located in the third world. Such working conditions, often, referred to as sweatshops; exist in the developing as well as the developed world. For example, Tesco, Wal-mart, Nike, GAP, Sean John, Reebok, Starbucks, and Adidas have faced accusations of violations of labour rights, underpayment of wages and subjecting the workers, to long hours of work without adequate compensation. NGOs have repeatedly exposed cases of underpaid labor in countries like Brazil, Mexico, Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, and Taiwan. In the following text, we will study how underpayment affects the society, the workers, and how it is related to ethical theories. Ethical Theories At the onset, we will discuss the ethical theories of consequentialism and nonconsequentialism, and later apply them to specific situations in the study of underpayment of wages. Consequentialism and non-consequentialism are two sets of normative ethical theories that help in making decisions and solving moral dilemmas. In retrospect, they provide criteria for evaluation of choices over decisions taken. Consequentialism According to the theory of consequentialism, an action, policy, and institution, is considered right, so long it produces good consequences. Consequences include the action itself and whatever the action causes. Consequentialism aims to spread greatest good of greatest number of people thereby bringing freedom, happiness and pleasure to humanity. John Stuart Mill and Jeremy Bentham are two well-known consequentialists. While Mill emphasizes happiness as the consequence, Bentham takes a hedonistic standpoint of pleasure. Bentham advocates
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