Movies

The Corporation is Mark Achbads award-winning documentary, which explores the nature, evolution, impact, and future of corporations.  The documentary probes deeply into how corporations operate, what or who are involved, and the consequences of their actions. It is easy for corporations to get away with unethical and unlawful actions because, according to Baron Thurlow, There is no soul to save, there is no body to incarcerate.  Externalizing machine is what corporations are called in the documentary because they let someone else deal with the problem. Victims of corporate externalization are often the employees of the company, especially does who work in factories and sweatshops.

Charles Kernaghan, director of the National Labor Committee, took the crew of The Corporation for a tour in their stockroom where they store the items they subject under investigation.  One such item was a Liz Clairborne Jacket that was priced at 178.  Much to everyones surprise, the workers only got 74 cents for each jacket they made.  The documentary also presented cases of ridiculously cheap labor in other countries.  The Kathy Lee Gifford controversy, for example, took place in Honduras.  The irony of the situation was the laborers were mostly under 13 but the proceeds of the Kathy Lee Gifford products were supposed to go to various childrens charities.  Nike Internal Pricing documents were featured in the documentary.  Nike laborers in Dominican Republic normally took 6.6 minutes to make one product so they would be given 8 cents for the 6.6 minutes.  What laborers earn in sweatshops is not enough to buy them three square meals a day.  It does not help that they are exposed to various hazardous chemicals in sweatshops.

It is difficult to address this problem because most of the laborers refuse to leave their work in sweatshops. According to them, they earn as much as three times more than if they toil in the farmlands.  More than just internal monitoring conducted by the corporations in their respective factories, government institutions should closely monitor these corporations and provide a venue for employees and laborers to voice out their complaints and concerns.

As a sign of corporate responsibility, it is mandatory for corporations to have a Code of Conduct where employee and laborer rights are stipulated. In addition to this, it is the corporations job to police anomalies that go against the Code of Conduct. However, Esbenshade believes that private monitoring has been ineffective because monitoring practices are erratic auditors routinely miss violations and workers are by and large unaware of programs made to benefit them.  Corporations are confident enough to declare that they protect their workers simply because they have a Code of Conduct.  Independent monitoring  where local NGOs, or international NGOS working with local advocates, investigate code violations  should then be encouraged.  The organizations must also work hand-in-hand with workers responsible for monitoring so that the workers voices may be heard as much as possible. In addition to that, Unionization must be highly encouraged.

Corporations should always exercise transparency with their workers. They must make workers aware of their rights.  It is also important for corporations to provide protection to their workers because these workers are the people who provide the corporations profit.  These workers, therefore, should live a decent life by working in a healthy environment and being able to provide themselves with sufficient meals, a shelter, and other basic necessities.

Independent monitoring is always easier said than done. Corporations are powerful bodies and can still possibly manipulate their workers and drive away NGOs. It is also difficult for workers to take the risk of fighting for their rights because it is the corporations that provide them their bread and butter.  But a win-win situation is what everyone deserves. Both the corporation and the workers must gain to ensure sustainable prosperity so even if it is risky, what must be done  has to be done.