Anti-Americanism in Latin America: The struggle(s) against the Free Trade Area of the Americas

MONTERO, JERÓNIMO

Leeds

Seminario; MA Programme on Social Movements, University of Leeds (Seminario dictado por mí); 2009

Programa de Maestría en Movimientos Sociales, Department of Geography, University of Leeds

(SEMINARIO DICTADO POR MÍ) In this presentation I aim at explaining what is a sweatshop, who do sweatshops work for, and what are the working conditions that we can find in these. In this sense I put forward a differentiation between ‘international sweatshops’ and ‘national sweatshops’. Then we will briefly analyse the rise of sweatshops in Argentina and in Italy in the context of Neoliberal policies. In here I will also address two main myths about sweatshops: 1. branded manufacturers and retailers cannot control working conditions in the whole chain; and 2. working in a sweatshop is bad but still it is a better option than any option these workers could get. Finally, I will briefly put forward a critic to the ethical trade as being the solution to stop sweatshops.