One of the most common unethical business practices involves the use of child labour and forced labour. Most often, when we turn to the news channel on the television, we hear about different businesses being discovered to contravene the child labour law. In order to decrease the cost of employing workers, businesses go to the extent of performing such scandalous practices hoping to gain a wider marginal profit. The cruel and cold-hearted nature of companies to maximize their profits in turn opens the door to an atrocious world for minors. In the following case, the unethical issues of using child labour and forced labour, disregarding health, safety and environmental standards are displayed:
Not only were the minors exposed to the dangers of meatpacking (slaughtering and packing areas of a meat or poultry plant), but they also worked in a horrendous working environment as they were exposed to perilous chemicals and worked with prohibited tools such as knives and saws.
Many of the minors were asked about their employment experience at the plant after the raid, and many, deeming that they had nothing to lose voiced out their experiences. The children claimed that they were forced to work long hours, working as much as 17 hours a day, and were not paid for working overtime. They also declared that they were put to work on the production lines, having to use knives to cut meat and poultry with little or no safety training.
Even though the main goal of businesses is usually to maximize their profits, I believe that all businesses should have a clear and distinct line separating what should be done and what should be avoided. Many times, companies are blinded by their profit goals, leading to them crossing the line between what is right and what is wrong (not just by law, but by personal values as well).
For more information on the article, click the following link: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/06/us/06meat.html?_r=1&ref=childlabor