主题：[转帖]THE LOUDSPEAKERS OF MISERY

按: "扬声器的悲哀"是知名喇叭工程师Steve Mowry写的关于扬声器产业劳工待遇的一篇文章, 在文中,Steve生动地回忆了他过去作为喇叭开发工程师走访北美,东南亚和中国三地的喇叭配件生产厂家的经过, 并对其生产行业状况和薪酬作了对比, Steve对中国喇叭生产行业的丑陋现象给予了无情地揭露, 他的评论是非常真实直接的. 因为有人要求看英文原版的, 所以就不翻译了.

The Loudspeakers of Misery
By Steve Mowry

My first exposure to any loudspeaker and/or loudspeaker component manufacturing was in Westboro, MA in 1995. ‘Burdened wages’ at that time were approximately US$17.50 per hour. Please keep in mind productivity was also very high due to the application of automation including robotics. Typically high productivity is a characteristic of American workers in general. Working conditions were as good as one could expect considering the relatively low skill job requirements. Most assembly line workers were Hispanic Americans. The workers worked the typical American workweek. F.D.R. gave the American worker overtime. This is a strong disincentive for companies manufacturing in the USA to work people in excess of 45 hours per week. The workers were not represented by a Labor Union.

My next and first exposure to ‘low wage 3^rd world’, loudspeaker and/or loudspeaker component manufacturing, about US$00.50 per hour, was in 1997 when I traveled to San Luis, Mexico. Subsequently but shortly after that, I also visited several loudspeaker component suppliers in Tijuana, Mexico. Working conditions at these manufacturing facilities were not much different than you would expect to find in other labor intensive industries in the USA and much better than the New England Textile Plant that I worked in as a young man. At this time the typical Mexican worker worked approximately 48 hours per week. Some Mexican workers housed resentment of American Management and Technical people and frankly it was not a safe place for American citizens. Our team was housed in Yuma, AZ or San Diego, CA. I knew a gentleman that was employed by a famous Japanese loudspeaker component manufacturing company that disappeared in Tijuana never to be heard from again.

My next experience with working in a low wage environment, about US$00.40 per hour, was when I went to work and live in Sungai Petani, Malaysia in 1999. The working conditions in Malaysia were noticeably of a lower standard than any manufacturing facility that I had seen before. The VOCs were off the chart and I could not remain in the plant for extended periods of time. Another problem in Malaysia is the climate. It is HOT and humid with periods of almost daily rainfall that last for months. The plants were not air-conditioned. Finally, I could not help but notice the flagrant display of racism in assigning employees to jobs and their respective salaries. Malaysian Chinese were assigned most if not all administrative, management, and technical positions. While the Malaysian Indian workers, Malaysia’s underclass, and a limited number of Malays worked in the plant. Typical artisans again worked approximately 48 hours per week and were of a slightly higher quality than the Mexican artisans. While working in Malaysia, I also made several trips to both transducer and transducer component manufacturing facilities in China; however, I will discuss China in the last section of this article.

In the year 2000, I went to work in Bangkok, Thailand. Unlike Malaysia, which is multi-racial, Thailand is charmingly Thai. Wages for artisans in Bangkok were about US$00.50 per hour. This was the same as Mexico, although it is now three years later. The work force was exemplarily. They were cooperative, loyal, and attentive. The degree of diligence was somewhat lower than US workers, but this was offset by the unique dexterity of young Thai women working at their respective stations. I actually saw people smiling while performing what most would consider mundane and repetitive tasks. With Bangkok 1200 km or about 750 miles to the North, the temperature is slightly lower with the same rainy seasons, but the manufacturing plants that I saw in Thailand were air-conditioned. This does not suggest that all such plants in Thailand are air-conditioned. Actually, one manufacturing plant in particular stands out as a model of quasi-modern Industrial Engineering. This plant was impeccably clean and contained a tropical garden in the center of the manufacturing assembly line area. Additionally, this plant was colorful and provided an environment that was more pleasing than most of the workers’ homes. The Thai economy is essentially tourist and agro based; however, with 60 million people and with a small but well established middle class, several local manufacturers market domestically. The Thai government also offers a more stable political and economic atmosphere with regard to foreign investment, than other countries in Indo China or Southeast Asia. Additionally, during my two years of contract employment to provide engineering services to a particular company in Bangkok, I made several trips to both Taiwan and to China.

Finally, in 2002 I decided to work as an independent consultant. The demand for cheap Asian labor from the Western Loudspeaker Companies had continued to increase with the major focus of investment now being China. Many of the established Taiwanese loudspeaker component suppliers were offered incentives by the Chinese government to move manufacturing and the related jobs to the mainland. These facilities are concentrated in the Shenzhen region of Southern China. These facilities are typically restricted to exportation of product, only. While the investors from Hong Kong were also offered incentives from the Chinese government to invest in the mainland; however, most of these companies located in the Shanghai region of China and these companies were not restricted to export only and could also market domestically within China. Essentially, all of my experience has been in working with Chinese facilities that are located in the Shenzhen region. Therefore, I can only comment on my several experiences in working with Taiwanese owned manufacturing facilities within China. However, there is a heavy concentration of companies that service the loudspeaker industry within the Shenzhen region, estimates run as high as 1,000+ companies.

With regards to working conditions at the facilities that I have visited in China, I regret to say that they are the worst that I have ever seen. There is a striking difference between all my experiences in working outside of China relative to my experiences working within China. That being that the Chinese worker is living and working under an umbrella of intimidation. In all other low wage labor environments mentioned above including Mexico, Malaysia, and Thailand there is still a basic and reasonable level of human rights and freedom of choice. This is not the case in China. Workers are forced to work as many as 100 hours per week. Workers are forced to work even if they are genuinely ill. The management of the companies that I have made inquires to are aware that the artisans work in fear and management by intimidation is the norm. The Western media has identified unacceptable working conditions within China on several occasions.

Unlike other counties in Asia, the Chinese workers live in dormitories and dine together in what I call mess halls. The workers seldom leave the compound. There is a guard at the gate and a wall surrounding the facility. What is also troubling is that the source of intimidation of the worker is not solely from company management. The Chinese government also defines a worker’s lifestyle with respect to domestic travel inclusive of family visitation, the number of children a family may have (1), and unlike any other countries mentioned above, the people cannot leave China without the government’s approval. I was told this by an educated Chinese lady in Hong Kong whom worked in marketing for the same company as I, “if the government allowed Chinese people to leave China, they would not return”.

My conclusion and my feelings regarding the utilization of cheap labor are not adversarial at all. I see a need for the Western Companies to look to Asia to reduce costs and to maintain healthy balance sheets; however, the working conditions in China are a topic for concern. Asia needs foreign investment and exports to increase jobs and the standard of living for their people. However, what is occurring right now in China is exploitation of the masses at the benefit of a few investors. We as civilized human beings should prioritize our mores, such that we think twice about forming business relationships with managerial tyrants. In closing, I cannot help but to try to convey to you that a Chinese loudspeaker and/or loudspeaker component manufacturing facility in the Shenzhen region of China is remarkably similar to a medium security correctional institution in the USA. However, I believe the medium security inmates are paid at a higher rate and are not required to work more than 48 hours per week.