Ethical questions for expatriate employers
Ethical questions for expatriate employersBy Nick Kahn-Fogel, University of Zambia
Monday February 11, 2008 [17:13]
For the most part, expatriates in the diplomatic and development communities in Zambia live very well. We are compensated generously, with sizable salaries and, often, liberal housing allowances, permitting us to turn the nicest neighborhoods in Lusaka into enclaves of Western wealth.
Moreover, for Americans at least, many of us live here tax free as a result of a provision of the United States tax code exempting large quantities of foreign earned income. Maybe this is all okay.
A lot of the expatriates living in Zambia are doing extremely valuable work, fighting HIV, assisting with anti-corruption initiatives, and advocating human rights improvements. There is no reason those who choose these kinds of work should be expected to take vows of poverty.
Nonetheless, as a group, Western expatriates living in Zambia tend to live much more comfortable lives than we would likely lead in our home countries. This is possible largely due to our reliance on domestic staff to assist with household tasks like cleaning, cooking, gardening, and even raising our children.
The vast majority of expatriates in Zambia would not be able to afford such assistance were we not living in the developing world, where labour is exponentially cheaper than at home.
In theory, this is okay, too. Hiring domestic workers provides jobs and gives a boost to the local economy. Even so, many of us are not paying these workers enough to provide even the most fundamental necessities for their families.
According to the most recent figures from the Jesuit Centre for Theological Reflection, a family of six in Lusaka needs a minimum of more than K1.6 million per month for basic needs, including food, housing, charcoal, and electricity.
Yet we, the wealthiest community in Zambia, frequently choose not to provide our domestic staff-many of whom are sole breadwinners for their families - with enough income to meet these needs.
There are possible justifications for this behaviour. One might point out that many of the wealthy expatriates in Zambia already pay their domestic staff more than prevailing rates. The argument follows that domestic workers are lucky to have these jobs, and to pay them any more would somehow distort the economy.
In fact, it is true that paying salaries in line with estimates for minimum necessities would mean many domestic laborers would earn more than skilled and educated members of the workforce, including some university graduates.
Yet this merely demonstrates that the market here is already broken, incapable of supplying its participants with what they need to survive. Moreover, by choosing to establish long-term presences here, expatriate organisations have already decided to accept positions of major influence on the local economy.
Of course, these criticisms are applicable beyond the expatriate community and beyond the realm of domestic workers.
But many in the development world have an intellectual commitment to social responsibility and social justice, and raising the salaries of domestic staff is an entirely personal decision, not fraught with the complexities of fighting institutional entrenchment and organisational bureaucracy.
There may be good reasons for reluctance to drastically raise salaries of domestic workers, not the least of which is sensitivity to prevailing cultural attitudes in a country in which we are guests.
Still, these domestic employees provide many expatriates with the most lavish lifestyles they have ever experienced, and before we choose to continue paying them less than they need to feed and clothe their families, we owe it to them at least to give deep thought to why we make that choice.
posted by MrK @ 8:45 PM
1 Comments:
I know of domestic workers that are paid in US$ by their employer right in Zambia and to be frank on the copperbelt. None of them take home less that 1000 Kilos in Zambian Kwacha (once converted).
Whilst Zambia is full of few selfish expatriates, most of them are self conscious and fully aware of the poverty stricken population and therefore do their best to pay at least a correct sum and provide groceries and second hand clothes. Some even provide school fees allowances and take care of medical expenses.
When I lived back home, I paid my workers correctly though not handsomely but within the norm, I took care of their medical expenses, provided mealie meal, cooking ol, sugar and salt. I always encouraged them to seek employment within the expatriate communities for better wages. I was only too happy whenever one had to leave after finding a better paying job elsewhere.
One girl was really lucky because her employers provided a nursery for her baby and took care of the infant as if it were their own (medial, clothing, food etc.) Unfortunately she blew it up by becoming preganant again ... well you know the rest!
slm
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