It’s Not Just a Job — It’s About Dignity

It’s Not Just a Job — It’s About Dignity

“Just because it’s a job doesn’t mean we should accept anything.”

We often hear people say, “At least you have a job.” But the real question we should be asking is: What kind of job? And at what cost?

If you're working in a place with endless hours, earning a salary that doesn't even cover your transportation, and getting penalized—or fired—if you miss a day due to illness or a family emergency, then let’s be honest: You’re not in an “honest job.” You’re trapped in an exploitative system known as a sweatshop.

And sweatshops aren’t only in Bangladesh or Cambodia.

We’ve been conditioned to associate sweatshops with faraway places and low-cost clothing brands. But the truth is far closer—and more uncomfortable.

From Lebanon to Syria, from Egypt to Jordan, and even across the Gulf States— sweatshop conditions are alive and well. They just wear different faces.

In Jordan

In some Qualifying Industrial Zones, South Asian workers are employed under brutal conditions: 12-hour shifts, six days a week. Many sleep in dormitories above the factories. The companies export to Europe and North America, but the workers earn only around 150 Jordanian Dinars per month—and rarely see sunlight.

Why? Because "demand is high" and "speed is essential."

In Lebanon

Numerous sewing workshops, particularly in industrial zones, rely heavily on undocumented Syrian labor. Workers—men and women alike—start early in the morning and finish late in the afternoon. Their monthly wage? Less than $100. They work underground, in poorly ventilated spaces, with no fire extinguishers and machines that haven’t been serviced in years.

In Dubai

The glamorous skyline hides grim realities. Many construction and sanitation workers live in cramped labor camps on the city’s outskirts. They endure the scorching heat for more than 10 hours a day. Their wages are sometimes delayed for months, or deducted for “residency” and “sponsorship” costs.

And they can’t complain—because their sponsor controls everything.

In Iraq

Post-2017, industrial areas across Iraq saw a surge in factories employing young workers with zero protection. Long hours. No safety standards. Electrical failures and gas leaks have caused serious accidents. And when workers get injured, no one is held accountable. They’re sent home with a “God be with you.”

In Syria

After the war, hundreds of new factories emerged to meet fast production demands. Workers earn around 200,000 Syrian pounds per month (just a few dollars), working from 8 AM to 8 PM. No contracts, no insurance, no proper ventilation, and no safety protocols.

Why? Because “that’s how the market works,” or worse— “someone else is waiting to take your place.”

Even Delivery Workers Aren’t Spared

Some delivery companies require workers to use their own vehicles, with no rights, covering fuel and maintenance themselves. At the end of the month, they earn less than minimum wage.

This Is Not Just About Work — This Is About Human Dignity

When you reduce a person to a tool, when you exploit their exhaustion and silence their rights, you are not running a business. You're reinforcing a system that mirrors modern-day slavery.

When a company earns millions, but its workers can’t afford more than one proper meal a month, there is a moral failure at the core of that success.

“If your profit depends on the unfair labor of others, you’re not building success — you’re building injustice.”

What’s the Way Forward?

• Businesses that practice genuine social responsibility, not empty slogans.
• Labor laws that respect human dignity, offering fair wages and safe working conditions.
• Conscious consumers who refuse to support brands built on exploitation.
• And above all, leaders with conscience—who know that dignity is not a perk. It’s a right.