{"id":664,"date":"2021-02-10T09:00:19","date_gmt":"2021-02-10T09:00:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.jointpublicissues.org.uk\/?p=9269"},"modified":"2021-02-10T09:00:19","modified_gmt":"2021-02-10T09:00:19","slug":"a-fair-deal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/standrewsurcrustington.org.uk\/?p=664","title":{"rendered":"A Fair Deal"},"content":{"rendered":"

David Jonathan shares his
\nsuccess in taking action to challenge the exploitation of trade by business
\ngiants.<\/strong><\/p>\n

A few years ago, I had the
\nprivilege of travelling to India. The cultural and culinary differences between
\nthe UK and India are plain to see, but I was struck by the sight of large
\nshopping malls full of familiar, Western brands. The Indian people were buying
\ntheir own products, made in India, but labelled as Western goods. And it was
\nforeign companies who were making the profit.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a sign of how Western Empire
\nand colonial legacies continue to exert their influence. Modern globalization
\nhas initiated a new era of economic slavery and oppression. I thought such
\nhorrors would have been consigned to history in these enlightened times, but
\nhistory sadly has a habit of repeating itself.<\/p>\n

Trade and exploitation<\/h4>\n

Some businesses have exploited people and entire regions over hundreds of years, and India is a prime example. Paving the way for the British Empire\u2019s dominance in India, the East India Company, a London-based business that traded from 1600 to 1870s, at one time accounted for half of the world\u2019s trade.<\/a><\/p>\n

Colonialism has become a hot topic in these days, and rightly so, and I still hear people try to defend the process with statements like \u201cat least Britain gave India the trains.\u201d It\u2019s true that infrastructure has been a benefit to Indians, but it\u2019s also a fact that during British rule, Britain squeezed up to $45 trillion out of India.<\/a><\/p>\n

Taking advantage of developing
\nmarkets<\/h4>\n

In 1991, India sought support from the World Bank and IMF (the International Monetary Fund) to get through a financial crisis. Unlike other countries, where the presence of gold in their own banks was enough of a guarantee for loans, the government instead had to deposit India\u2019s gold reserves in other countries\u2019 vaults.<\/a>One of the loan conditions stipulated the liberalisation of the Indian economy. This required India to open itself up to foreign entities seeking to control its industries, including state-owned enterprises. The plans acknowledged that the most vulnerable in society would suffer as a result<\/a>. Despite the risks and its vast resources, India was in no position to refuse this deal.<\/p>\n

Western companies saw the opportunities which unfolded, and under the guise of creating jobs, benefited firstly from India\u2019s cheap labour, then exploited India\u2019s consumer market. It was heralded that they would boost the Indian economy, but even with a fast-growing economy and levels of poverty reducing<\/a>[<\/a>, it is outrageous how much of the wealth created benefits individuals and organisations based in more developed countries.<\/p>\n

It has been deeply unfair, and you could even say that the UK\u2019s current foreign trade policies<\/a>[<\/a> are doubly unfair when people who migrate to the UK, after having been exposed to such economic systems, are accused of \u2018taking over British people\u2019s jobs\u2019 and abusing the system!<\/p>\n

What can I do about it?<\/h4>\n

I felt challenged to make a
\nchange in the system, but in the face of such mighty powers defending the
\nstatus quo, I often found myself too small. Then I remembered my Sunday School
\nteacher explaining David\u2019s victory over Goliath, and teaching us, \u201cDon\u2019t run
\naway from the giant; instead run to the giant.\u201d <\/p>\n

Faith and hope ought to be steeped
\nin the conviction that, regardless of how bad things may be, a new story is
\nwaiting to be created and God is expecting us, individuals, congregations, communities
\nand civil society, to champion that hope of a fairer future.<\/p>\n

To tell that new story, my first
\ninitiative in 2003 involved a tug-of-war game played in Luton town centre! Many
\npassers-by and shoppers joined in and discovered how poor nations can never win
\nwhen trading with wealthy and powerful nations.<\/p>\n

Next, we organised culture-specific
\nworkshops, highlighting economic injustices in parts of the world reflected by the
\nimmigrant population of Luton. Hearing about the impact of Fairtrade in
\nPakistan, Bangladesh, India, the continent of Africa and the nations of the Caribbean
\ngot people interested in launching and supporting the Making Luton a Fairtrade Town campaign.<\/p>\n

Restoring humanity<\/h4>\n

The Fairtrade Foundation enables farmers to sell their good quality, sustainably sourced and ethically produced products for a fair price<\/a>[<\/a>. It helps them to support their local communities and produce their products in a way that respects and nurtures the environment. We invited a Caribbean banana farmer called Tokkie Bowman to Luton to share<\/ins> his story, and his message was clear: <\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you
\nbuy Fairtrade, you buy a little bit of humanity too.\u201d<\/p>\n

In 2007, a multi-faith
\nFairtrade Steering Group was launched. We organised countless school assemblies,
\ncommunity workshops and public events. Through lots of hard work, Luton could
\neventually boast having the UK\u2019s first Fairtrade Hindu temple, the UK\u2019s second
\nand third Fairtrade mosques, a Fairtrade synagogue, and most churches and other
\nfaith and community groups supporting Fairtrade. We even saw two Fairtrade
\ncaf\u00e9s become established.<\/p>\n

Justice for producers<\/h4>\n

People in Luton were beginning to realise that fair trade wasn\u2019t charity: it was justice. It was seeking to give people what they deserve and to take an active role in reducing worldwide exploitation<\/a>[<\/a>. Luton was finally launched as the first super multi-faith and multi-cultural Fairtrade town in November 2011<\/a>. <\/p>\n

Harriet Lamb, at that time <\/ins>the
\nExecutive Director of the Fairtrade Foundation (UK) said: \u201cCongratulations to
\nLuton! Your tireless campaigning has won the hearts and minds of consumers and
\nbusinesses. With your help, we can tip the balance in favour of some of the
\npoorest producers in the world and we hope that we will see similar successes
\nacross the UK and beyond.\u201d The Fairtrade Foundation<\/ins> awarded us a
\nnational Outstanding Achievement Award in 2012.Zafar Khan, Chair of Luton Council of Faiths, observed: \u201cThe GRASSROOTS programme has helped create and sustain a platform for people to act together on issues of concern, and share from our respective faith traditions a passion for justice.\u201d <\/p>\n

This is my story. I did what I
\ncould do. I and many others look forward to hearing your story, so we can
\ncontinue inspiring one another to do what we have still got to do to make
\nthings fair for everyone.<\/p>\n

 \u201cNever doubt that a small group of committed people can change the world; Indeed, it\u2019s the only thing that ever has.\u201d (Margaret Mead)<\/p>\n

\n
\n
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

David Jonathan was invited from India to be CWM-URC Mission Partner (2001\u20132005). He is now serving as Director for the GRASSROOTS (Christian ecumenical community engagement) Programme & Luton Council of Faiths<\/em><\/p>\n

\n

JPIT have commissioned a series of blogs exploring racial justice, particularly at its intersection with other issues of justice and peace. To see other blogs in this series, click here. <\/a><\/p>\n

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