passing the buck ...

With the final body count of the Bangladeshi clothing industry disaster, when a fire caused the building to collapse and kill 1,127 people, there has been much discussion on who was responsible, with some quarters trying to pass the buck to consumers.
 With all of this in mind I shall now voice my opinion on some of the issues that have been discussed.

Firstly,I don't think is fair to blame consumers for these types of disasters, however that is not to say that we as consumers don't have a responsibility in speaking out, and taking positive action to put pressure of those who are responsible to insure these types of avoidable incidents are subject to scrutiny, and the correct steps & procedures taken to insure they are avoided, as well as bringing to justice those responsible.

We the consumers and workers of the developed world have a responsibility to our fellow workers around the world in all industries & social sectors to show solidarity in their plight and the need for fair safe working conditions & workers rights & fair payment for the work they do.

It's not just about the production of cheap products & our ability to access them, at a time when across the world people are being subjected to harsh employment conditions, cuts in employment & reforms in employment polices & laws that benefit the employer but not the employee, all resulting from austerity, resulting in price hikes at the tills that put most working class and the poor under stress and strain when trying to budget their income and sustain the basic needs of their families for food, heat shelter & clothing....
who doesn't want to get a bargain? and who can blame anyone for that?

Lets not forget that these issues related to austerity arise from poor management and judgment within government and the financial sector in managing their economic responsibility to the masses the consumer, the worker.

Furthermore, many of these products that are made at the expense of decent working conditions, with child labour & poor pay, are sold to western consumers by big brand named companies at prices that are far from cheap in relation to  average income, I certainly don't consider 30-40 quid a reasonable or fair price for a pair of trainers for a child.

There is no doubt in my mind, that clever marketing and commercialism bread in  many the boardroom, of what appears to be contempt for the consumer by brand leaders, in a market place where competition in the market and greed, takes precedence over ethic and moral obligation to mankind, the fellow human being.

The branded producers & developers, the entrepreneurs directors and manufacturers have an obligation not just to the stock holders but to the consumers & workers to ensure their products are safe and risk free and that includes in the workplace, and they must take responsibility for the part they have played in the disaster in Bangladesh, and let us not forget that this recent disaster is not a solitary incident resulting from unfair unsafe work conditions, nor is it an issue that is only related to the textiles industry.

The rights of workers around the globe to work in safe environments with decent working conditions and fair pay, is, I think, is an issue of responsibility that firmly lies within the remit of government to ensure polices and procedure within employment law reflects high standards of safety in all areas that keeps communities safe and free from harm, be that from, poor standards of construction or poor or unjust working conditions to poor unfair pay scales.

It is the responsibility of government to serve the best interests of the nation, the masses, the workers not the banks or the elite.
Government is voted in by the people, employed by the people and thus they have a responsibility to serve the people and insure the best interest of the people is served & maintained and when industrial disasters happen that are not as a result of acts of natural elements , then it is with government that responsibility lies.