El Salvador's Sweatshop Economy

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In all locations, wages are below subsistence, benefits few if any, unions banned or powerless, and regulatory enforcement lax or absent. Moreover, hours are long, working conditions unsafe, and those complaining are fired and replaced.

Conditions are also horrific for around two million farm workers. They're ruthlessly exploited, living in impoverished misery, without benefits, a living wage, overtime pay, or other job protections, even for children. 

Domestic servitude is another problem, affecting many thousands, usually foreign women taking jobs as live-in workers, mostly for the wealthy, foreign diplomats, or other domestic or foreign officials.

Excluded from labor law protections, they're underpaid, overworked, abused, given limited freedom, denied medical care, proper food and nutrition, and are subjected to unsafe working conditions.

So are many restaurant and hotel workers. They're also underpaid, get few benefits, worked long hours with no overtime pay, fired if they complain, and these practices exist for lack of regulation and a growing demand for cheap labor. As a result, unscrupulous employers exploit powerless workers for profit.

If it's common in America, what chance have workers in developing countries with lax labor laws, offering few protections, even for children, to attract business.

Committee in Solidarity with the People of El Salvador (CISPES)

Its campaigns include stopping sweatshops in El Salvador and at home, urging consumers boycott  companies profiting from worker exploitation. It's also promoting Violation-Free Zones in El Salvador's Free Trade ones, assuring fundamental worker rights to organize collectively for better pay and working conditions. Currently, workers there have no rights. More below explains.

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