El Salvador's Sweatshop Economy

El Salvador's Sweatshop Economy
Submitted by Stephen Lendman on Sat, 2011-02-05 10:47 Corporatism and Fascism

~snip~
El Salvador's Free Zone a Virtual Prison

Patrolled by shotgun-carrying guards, its walls are topped with razor wire. Workers must show ID cards to enter. Others aren't let in. Surveillance cameras monitor everything. Workers are harassed, threatened and abused. Talking is prohibited. Another worker said:

"I feel my hands shake because of the constant pressure we are under. There is a man that is constantly measuring the time we spend on sewing a garment. Supervisors and group leaders are the ones that mistreat the workers the most. They tell us to quit if we don't like the work....Even the general manager insults the workers who cannot reach their goals," cursing them.

"We are told that we have no right to demand anything 'because you're in the factory to obey and work, (and) don't ever contradict what we say because we are your boss.' "

A former senior worker called Ocean Sky "an awful experience because there was so much pressure and too much shouting. We faced injustice....we were treated like children. They took away our time for lunch (and) kept us" overtime without pay to complete daily quotas.

They said if their shirts didn't sell in America, "we are going to be left without work and with nothing to eat." But "we are always hungry anyway. If someone has a conscience in the US, they should feel guilty to be wearing such an expensive shirt while they don't understand what it costs us here, being exploited."

More:
http://warisacrime.org/content/el-salvadors-sweatshop-economy

Editorials:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=103x586591