Women workers in a globalized world
by janarthani10 | September 6, 2011 at 3:18 AM
The value of women's work is under-rated and undermined in a globalized world. If I was a woman who worked in a plantation in a remote location in Malaysia, would I know my wages depended on the global market price of palm oil traded in Europe? My union which is supposed to be the vanguard of my interests may be in cahoots with the Association of Palm Oil Produces and Oil Palm Plantations who probably decide what my daily wages are without any input from me. Say, the plantation decides to bring in migrant workers who are subjected to lower wages for the same tasks that I perform, who would I assign blame to? The plantation which wants to cut labor costs? The recruitment agent who wants to under cut migrant workers? or The government which wants to increase the production of palm oil to boost the economy? Where do I fit in this entire equation of political economy?
Jana
Malaysia
