Workers Collapsing While Making Your H&M Clothes and Puma Shoes: Where's the Mass Outcry?

The following from Alternet might just be a wake up call for some folks. Of course with such concerns as, "who just unfriended me on Facebook", what happens in the rest of the world doesn't seem to matter. After all, most folks will think, "Where is Cambodia, anyway?".

Please remember, there was a time when folks thought, "Where is Vietnam, anyway?".

We knew for a while -- but seem to be forgetting again.

Wake up folks -- folks do not love us out there.

The following is an excerpt from the article on "Alternet" -- please follow link to original - read the rest.
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Workers Collapsing While Making Your H&M Clothes and Puma Shoes: Where's the Mass Outcry?
70 percent of the clothing made in Cambodia is sold in the United States--where's the Foxconn-style outrage over atrocious conditions for garment workers?

About a year ago, record numbers of garment laborers in factories across Cambodia were reported to be suddenly and mysteriously falling to the ground, unconscious. Hundreds at a time - sometimes less, although sometimes more. Workers at many scenes reported foul smells, difficulty breathing. Halting investigations took place at select plants by various parties involved: government officials; labor unions; human rights groups; business associations; monitoring organizations; and, weirdly, the international big-name brands that sell the clothes being made. A consortium of factors was considered: hypoglycemia, the direct result of workers not eating enough; minor factory infractions that managers promised to address immediately; a common cold outbreak emanating from Canada; overwork; mass hysteria; workers partying too hard over the weekend; and spiritual possession. In the end, no single cause was named for the nationwide epidemic. Besides a 5$ "health bonus" for qualifying workers, no sweeping policy changes were offered to keep the incidents from continuing.

It seemed to be just more bad luck for Cambodia, a nation still coming to terms with five decades spent surviving a record tonnage of American bombs, the Khmer Rouge, a generation of civil war, a legacy of corruption and endemic poverty. But bad luck doesn't account for around 3,000 workers reportedly losing consciousness in 17 separate mass-fainting incidents at 12 of the country's 300 registered garment factories.

The real bad luck for Cambodia - and ethical apparel consumers, particularly in the US, where 70 percent of the goods produced are sold - is that thousands of workers falling ill on the job isn't enough to catch the fashion industry's attention.

Background

Life in the Cambodian garment factories is not what anyone would call easy, even under ideal conditions. The minimum wage was increased to $61 per month at the beginning of 2011, still significantly less than the $93 per month living wage. But garment workers don't just cover their own costs - about a fifth of the country's 14 million people rely on their paychecks to support rice farms in the provinces. (That's right, the developing country's third-largest income generator, garment work, supports the country's second - agriculture.) Many workers labor seven days per week and take on as much overtime as possible, to earn enough to send $50 or $60 home every month. A tiny rental near the factories costs around $25 per month - you can get something bigger to split among more workers, although rents of less than $15 per month are rare - and utilities run between $5 and $10 per month. Drinking and cooking water costs have to be covered, too. And transportation, if needed. Even with the wage increase, funds are tight. ......................................... please follow link to read the rest.
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