THE TALE OF THE SHOE-MAKER:

Is outsourcing exploitation?: Just ask Indian shoemakers whether they would prefer to work for themselves or for an overseas company. (Xavier Rodrigues, 25 March 2009, Mercator.net)

Just imagine that company X, which employs 50 of these shoe makers (mochis as they are called here) goes out of business:

Each of these mochis would then have to set up his own shop as other thousands of mochis in the city do. He would be sitting in a corner protected from rain and sun with some rags as a roof. The “shop” is barely 3 by 3 feet and perhaps just 4 feet high. They are very efficient, working with both arms and legs (thus they need to be sitting on the floor), and don't charge much... perhaps Rs. 10 US$0.20) for a 15-minute job. Hopefully he will get enough clients so as to make 2,000 or 3,000 Rupees ($40 to US$60)in a month.

This is not really too bad, but the guys in the outsourced workshop are better off. It is true they still sit at the floor and work in a cramped space. But this is how they learned their job in the first place. Besides, those fellows have a stable job; they have accommodation (the workshop itself); their salary is secure and thus their children can go to school... The accommodation factor is very important, even though they may not get to see their family for the full week. Otherwise they would have to spend about four hours a day in jam-packed public transport and spend a few precious Rupees in the process.

I have used shoe manufacturing as an example, but a very similar line could be drawn for other labour-intensive manufacturing processes, or even for services where professionals work.

Contributing to those businesses as clients is certainly not cooperating with something against human dignity.