Anti-sweatshop
Encyclopedia
Anti-Sweatshop refers to campaigning movements to improve the conditions of workers in Sweatshop
s, i.e. manufacturing places characterized by low wages, poor working conditions and often child labor. It started in the 19th century in some industrialized countries: USA, Australia
and the UK to improve the conditions of workers in those countries.
In the late 20th century, with the advent of globalization
, movements were formed to protest the exploitation of workers in poorer countries by companies based in wealthy countries. Noam Chomsky
said in The Nation
that the anti-sweatshop movement is in some ways, he said, "like the antiapartheid movement, except that in this case it's striking at the core of the relations of exploitation. It's another example of how different constituencies are working together."
Sweatshop
Sweatshop is a negatively connoted term for any working environment considered to be unacceptably difficult or dangerous. Sweatshop workers often work long hours for very low pay, regardless of laws mandating overtime pay or a minimum wage. Child labour laws may be violated. Sweatshops may have...
s, i.e. manufacturing places characterized by low wages, poor working conditions and often child labor. It started in the 19th century in some industrialized countries: USA, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and the UK to improve the conditions of workers in those countries.
In the late 20th century, with the advent of globalization
Globalization
Globalization refers to the increasingly global relationships of culture, people and economic activity. Most often, it refers to economics: the global distribution of the production of goods and services, through reduction of barriers to international trade such as tariffs, export fees, and import...
, movements were formed to protest the exploitation of workers in poorer countries by companies based in wealthy countries. Noam Chomsky
Noam Chomsky
Avram Noam Chomsky is an American linguist, philosopher, cognitive scientist, and activist. He is an Institute Professor and Professor in the Department of Linguistics & Philosophy at MIT, where he has worked for over 50 years. Chomsky has been described as the "father of modern linguistics" and...
said in The Nation
The Nation
The Nation is the oldest continuously published weekly magazine in the United States. The periodical, devoted to politics and culture, is self-described as "the flagship of the left." Founded on July 6, 1865, It is published by The Nation Company, L.P., at 33 Irving Place, New York City.The Nation...
that the anti-sweatshop movement is in some ways, he said, "like the antiapartheid movement, except that in this case it's striking at the core of the relations of exploitation. It's another example of how different constituencies are working together."
Some Anti-Sweatshop Campaigners
- Lady Astor
- Alfred DeakinAlfred DeakinAlfred Deakin , Australian politician, was a leader of the movement for Australian federation and later the second Prime Minister of Australia. In the last quarter of the 19th century, Deakin was a major contributor to the establishment of liberal reforms in the colony of Victoria, including the...
- Vida GoldsteinVida GoldsteinVida Jane Mary Goldstein was an early Australian feminist politician who campaigned for women's suffrage and social reform.-Early years:...
- Florence KelleyFlorence KelleyFlorence Kelley was an American social and political reformer. Her work against sweatshops and for the minimum wage, eight-hour workdays, and children's rights is widely regarded today.-Family:...
- Charles KernaghanCharles KernaghanCharles Kernaghan is the executive director of the National Labor Committee in Support of Human and Worker Rights , currently headquartered in Pittsburgh...
- Mary Reid Macarthur
- Samuel MaugerSamuel MaugerSamuel Mauger was an Australian social reformer, hat manufacturing unionist and a Protectionist politician.-Early life:...
- R. H. TawneyR. H. TawneyRichard Henry Tawney was an English economic historian, social critic, Christian socialist, and an important proponent of adult education....
See Also
- Sweatshop#Anti-sweatshop movement
- Child labour
- Craftivism#Anti-sweatshop
- National Anti-Sweating LeagueNational Anti-Sweating LeagueThe National Anti-Sweating League is the name adopted by two groups of social reformers in Australia and Britain at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. Both campaigned against the poor conditions endured by many workers in so-called Sweatshops and called for a Minimum wage.-Australia:The...
- National Labor Committee in Support of Human and Worker RightsNational Labor Committee in Support of Human and Worker RightsThe National Labor Committee in Support of Human and Worker Rights, commonly known as the NLC, is a non-profit, non-governmental organization that investigates human and labor rights abuses committed by U.S. companies producing goods in the developing world...
- Nicholas D. Kristof#Criticism of the anti-sweatshop movement
- United Students Against SweatshopsUnited Students Against SweatshopsUnited Students Against Sweatshops is a student organization with chapters at over 250 colleges and universities in the United States and Canada. In April 2000, USAS founded the Worker Rights Consortium , an independent monitoring organization that investigates labor conditions in factories that...