Labour Culture in Other Cultures Child Labour, Discrimination, Wages, Standards and Practices, Consideration of Indigenous Cultures

Canada Many laws to encourage “fairness”  Gender equity, holidays, no child labour, unions, minimum wage, workplace safety, no discrimination  These values affect our place in business Some companies won’t set up shop as it is too expensive and highly regulated Some companies want the skills, education and the happy workforce that entails

Child Labour Child Labour is prevalent in many nations. The International Labour Organization reports the following estimates: Region#of active children between Asia122.3 Mil Sub-Saharan Africa 49.3 Mil Latin America and Caribbean 5.7 Mil Other Regions 13.4 Mil

Child Labour It is important to distinguish between exploitative child labour and a difference in the cultural values of two nations In some nations it is acceptable for young people to enter the labour market at 12 years of age (schooling is usually finished or there are no schools for them to attend) Often families expect them to work, and often it is on the family farm

Child Labour Cont’d In contrast, businesses in some nations exploit young people, unfairly taking advantage of children as young as 5 years old These children may be forced to work in mines or other dangerous occupations for little or no pay at all because the govt. will not or can not prevent it Canadians find this type of child labour unacceptable and any Cdn business found supporting exploitation of children would find their sales disappearing Ex: Nike, Gap and Walmart have all faced backlash when accused of child labour used to manufacture their products abroad Cocoa – estimated 40% from Ivory Coast where 200,000 children employed…this cocoa is put into a big mix purchased by chocolate manufacturers…you have probably eaten a child labour chocolate bar….

Discrimination Many countries do not have the same laws as Canada to prevent the discrimination of groups based on gender, race, sexual preference, disability, age, and so on. Ex: A Canadian business starting a branch plant in Saudi Arabia would have a difficult time hiring women, as women are not permitted to work alongside men (except in hospitals) Ex: In some countries it is illegal to be homosexual or a lesbian

Wages Wages reflect the standard of living in any country. A wage in another nation that is low in comparison to Canadian wages may be an above average wage in that nation A Canadian manager must ask what an acceptable or average wage is for a worker in another country See minimum wage handout

Wages Cont’d Minimum Wage per hour (in Canadian Dollars – Nov 2009) Ireland reduced their minimum wage from 8.65 euro to 7.65 euro per hour in 2010 Botswana.60 Chile2.18 Ireland13.65(now 11.09) Japan8.36 Mexico.57 Pakistan.48 Thailand.80 Ghana.28 South Africa1.00

Standards/Practices Cultural norms in the workplace which differ: Lunch hours – Canada it is usually an hour, in South America it is usually a 2 hour affair (siesta time!), Muslims need at least 2 times a day to pray during workday Labour unions – don’t exist in China, Oman and UAE Health and Safety Standards are sometimes non- existent Health benefits, Emp. Ins., sick days and mat. leave can also vary greatly in any country

Indigenous Cultures When companies set up factories, distribution centres, retail stores in foreign nations they must also be aware of their effect on indigenous cultures Some cases may have positive impact  reduced unemployment  access to medical services  improved infrastructure Roads, safe water, better sanitation  local schools/universities get higher enrolment as educated workforce is needed

Indigenous Cultures cont’d Negative impact today – extraction of resources cause of civil strife in areas such as Sierra leone, & Angola Diamonds from these areas create wealth for rebel forces and sustain a very bloody conflict in the region Also the exploitation of resources often destroys animal habits and ecological systems, and the human impact is that it often displaces thousands of peoples Ex. Texaco clearing rainforest land for timber – 90 tribes displaced in Brazil since 1900s