Labor Ethics in the India and United States - Essay Example

Comparing India Labor Ethics to the United s Introduction The labor ethics between India and United s carry a huge gap between them as one is a developing country and another is developed. To analyze and measure this gap of ethical practices towards employees in United States and India this article takes into account certain factors with respect to both countries. Child Labor India India is a huge victim of child labor and there are millions of such kids working in adverse condition not only in the rural areas but in metropolitan cities as well. According to sources this frequency was closed to 60 million in 2009-20101. There are numerous reasons behind this child labor among which the most critical is obviously the poverty. Almost 350.46 million people in India are living below the poverty line in 20122. This provides a golden opportunity to the employers looking for cheap labor which can be exploited by them in order to generate maximum profit margin. Lack of literacy rate in the country is also a major problem which also stems out from poverty. Another important aspect is the absence of SME sector and possession by major corporation like TATA and Birla in the corporate sector (Eric Edmonds, 2008). United States The child labor issue in United States though still exists but has been successfully taken care by the authorities through nationwide measures. There are a maximum of 800,000 under aged workers that are employed and almost all are in rural areas3. In cities the rate of child labor is almost down to zero which is not an easy job for the government in a big country. This was possible due to the strict measure by the government against child labor and the awareness they created in the masses. But above all the main cause is the back up by the government in order to facilitate parents in the bringing up their children (Choate, 1990). Low Wages India Low wages by employers in India is a tool very effectively used by them throughout the country. A daily wages worker of Texport in Bengaluru who is an authorized vendor for world renowned clothing company Gap told sources that she is only paid 22 paisa for an hour4. This is to make sure that she has not enough by the end of the day to tale home and has to work late hours which help the company in meeting the orders on time. The main cause behind this low wages is the absence of adequate and strict regulations by the government. On the other hand low and middle class people are not encouraged to initiate their own business at small scale (Joshi, 2008). United States In terms of low wages U.S. is a country that is most favorable for the employees. Authorities in each state have made regulations to set the minimum wage rate and each citizen has been properly educated on this issue. Every year hundreds of employers are caught and charge for this crime and certain are even penalized in terms of cancellation of their license. Those states where the wage rate is low, tax rates are charged from the workers at low rate as well (Heenan, 2003). Sexual Harassment India There were no formal laws against sexual harassment lately. Every year there are 43,800 women in India that become a victim of sex and are raped by their employers5. These statistics are highly alarming in 21st century when there are hundreds of NGOs and humanitarian service providers working against this evil act. This year Lok Sabha the Indian parliament at national level passed a bill against sexual harassment over the pressure exerted by the Supreme Court. After which authorities governing law were able to give proper definitions to terms like sexual harassment, unsafe working conditions for women etc. Children working underage are also a victim of illegal sexual intercourse by their employers of senior working fellows who were on the receiving side of this act when they were kids themselves. According to sources there is a mafia working which kidnap girls and made them work in bruthals and sex houses in different parts of major cities especially Mumbai (Patel, 2008). United States In terms of sexual harassment United States is comparatively a safe place but among developed countries its rank is on the lower side. In 2011 there were 11,364 cases filed related to sexual harassment in U.S. Though there has been a decline in the rate of such incidents but for a developed country and a society which claims it civilized the frequency is quite high. It can be said that the presence of such unethical and criminal activities is a big question mark for the authorities who have spent billions of dollars on the development and implementation of such regulation which can help and ensure employee safety by all means (Baker, 2007). Health & Safety India In terms of labor ethics workplace safety is another very alarming issue in India. Only in agriculture sector there were 53,000 fatalities caused in India in 19926. In 2011 this figure reached down to 40,1337. There are around 3 million workers serving in an extremely dangerous situation in different mines and factories around India. Factors that allow employers provide unsafe working conditions are the same as those in child labor and sexual harassment. Absence of comprehensive government laws and regulations and lack of interest to pay proper attention is a safe door to Indian industrialists that become a reason for such fatalities (Breen Creighton, 2007). United States In 2011 number of fatal incident in United States were 4,609 which indicates that in this era of latest technology in which the safety of employees can be insured at all costs the measure taken by authorities are not enough8. Though the rate has considerably gone down as the statistics show this frequency was 6,083 in 1992 but still there is a room of improvement9. Conclusion Labor ethics has always remained an issue of concern for the authorities, employees and employers. Both India and United States have issues to address related to labor ethics. For India the real matter is of the basis stage which includes creating awareness among the public and defining laws which can help in protecting the rights of labor (Breen Creighton, 2007). For United States the real issue is that of successful and effective implementation country wide (Committee on the Health and Safety Needs of Older Workers, 2004). The laws have already been defined and people are well aware of their rights as an employee or worker. In order to make sure that employees participate in the development of the country authorities and employers must pay serious attention. This will help both the countries retain their human capital which will set priority to serve its own country instead of serving overseas. References Baker, C. N. (2007). The Womens Movement Against Sexual Harassment. Chicago: Cambridge University. Breen Creighton, P. R. (2007). Occupational Health & Safety Law in Victoria. Delhi: Federation Press. Choate, P. (1990). Todays Worker in Tomorrows Workplace. Journal of Business Strategy , 4-7. Committee on the Health and Safety Needs of Older Workers, N. (2004). Health and Safety Needs of Older Workers. San Jose: National Academies Press. Eric Edmonds, P. S. (2008). Economic influences on child migration decisions: Evidence from. Indian Growth and Development Review , 32-56. Heenan, D. (2003). After NAFTA: The Long-Term Benefits. Journal of Business Strategy , 5-8. Joshi, R. (2008). LABOUR LAW AND FEMALE EMPLOYMENT. Equal Opportunities International , 36-53. Patel, B. N. (2008). India and International Law. Banglore: Martinus Nijhoff. Read More