Why do we Westerners think sending Manufacturing/Industrial work to third world countries is a good idea?

[Anonymous]

Why do we think that shutting down factories and dirty industries, then sending them overseas to places which exploit workers, almost non-existent Health& Safety, low environmental standards is such a great idea?

Wouldn't it be better if we kept them in countries which have unions and more environmentally conscious standards?

[Laura_Marx]

i am not sure that "we Westerners" do think this. capitalists think this, and, in fact, capitalists all over the world seem to agree in this respect!

think about it this way: if you make all of your product in a single factory and all the factory workers strike, your business is in real trouble. your ability to negotiate is very compromised, and soon you'll have to give them concessions: higher pay, a shorter working day, more time on safety checks, etc., all of which raise operating costs and reduce your profit. wouldn't it be better if you didn't depend on any particular factory? this was the change that many very large companies made in the 20th century: instead of owning factories themselves they lease a factory from a subletter, and they have all the parts of their product made in sublet factories all over the world. if the workers strike at a particular factory then production can be moved elsewhere; the workers are negotiating only with the subletter, not with the firm.

similarly, if all the workers in one country mount a successful movement for a shorter working day and a higher minimum wage, then as long as you do business in that country your operating costs will rise and your profits will decrease. wouldn't it be better to go do business in another country, without those regulations? since most production is very centralized in those large firms we talked about, moving capital around is very easy. what this means is that developing countries are actually involved in a *race to the bottom* on workers protections, enviornmental regulations, etc., because they're competing with other countries to attract transnational capitalists.

while you, as an individual capitalist, might be worried about the impact of these kinds of practices on workers and the enviornment, whatever business you make that manufactures all of its goods in a country you like will be facing higher operating costs and competing with all the big firms that manufacture goods where it's cheapest. and if you're successful and manage to compete with them they're just going to buy your company, lol!

this is why unions and national-level regulations are not sufficient to address the problems of *global* capitalism—it's why we need a workers' movement that is non-sectoral and *international*, capable of addressing the class situation of the proletariat as a whole.

[Asker]

What's the solution then? We bring back Trump?

[UCrayCray]

Trump? The guy who outsources his MAGA merch to China?
You think he has the solution? 🤨

[Laura_Marx]

well i said my solution, an international movement that can abolish class society. here we call it anarchism.

[AmandaYVR]

Because it hugely reduces the cost to consumers buying the products. And that sells more products. Which means larger volume in manufacturing, which helps, again, reduce the final cost.

Because people in third world countries need work, due to overpopulation (because of not believing in birth control), and limited opportunities. They make small wages, but at least they have jobs then.

[lightbulb27]

It's a double edged sword:

+ and - We get lower cost goods, which makes us live at a higher standard of living and we feel richer, eventhough we get poorer over time. It controls the population well... at least until the ensuing rebalance (financial or war).

+ The companies get richer as they have margin and they don't have to deal with expensive USA workers and expensive laws.

+ The other country gets work, knowledge and raises standards of living. Global power and wealth is distributed, takes decades to equalize.

- Environmental contamination as other countries lack protections for environment. as well it fosters more of a disposal society ( planned obsolescence policies) which results in lot more waste and damage to the planet. Democrats love this.

- pushes USA workers, especially union ones but many, to other jobs or out of work... onto streets. More poverty, crime, etc.. if people aren't retrained and it generally isn't worth it to do so as people are replaced by machines and higher productivity. Thus, decline in standards of living.

[Astarlessnightsky]

Money.

The companies which do this earn more by reducing labour costs, avoiding expensive waste disposals and recycling by dumping everything into the nearest river, and missing safety measures like glasses fire escape routes are reducing the costs as well.

[NaultD]

What makes a single dollar more?

[In_Trance]

Clearly yes it's a good idea

[Pterodon]

Ask Biden this