Monday, January 13, 2014

The Profit System Kills

Capitalism in its relentless search for bigger and bigger profits cares little for the plight of the working class. A particularly awful example of this surfaced recently. 'Campaigners say 29 retailers had sold or ordered clothing made in the Raza Plaza factory complex in Dhaka, Bangladesh, which collapsed in April last year killing 1,127 people. Yet only four have signed up to a £24m fund to compensate injured  survivors and the families of victims.' (Sunday Times, 12 January) The blaze was so severe that in addition to the deaths 2,500 were injured. The reason that retailers like Matalan, Mango and Benetton favoured the Raza Plaza factory? The average salary in Bangladesh is £1,150 per year. Lower wages mean higher profits. RD

No comments: