4 ms·

> It was never fair for the US worker that got paid 3x the salary for doing the job in the US instead of overseas ?! By this argument it's unfair that Indian w

by anjc 10y ago

> It was never fair for the US worker that got paid 3x the salary for doing the job in the US instead of overseas ?! By this argument it's unfair that Indian workers get paid more in the US than they do in India, as this is unfair to people who do the job in India for less?

toast0 10y ago
Isn't the basic tenet of fair wages equal pay for equal work? If the work is essentially the same in all locations, it's unfair that the wages aren't the same everywhere. Certainly, the work may not be the same everywhere, and not all workers are providing the same level of work etc. If the worker in India provides the same value to the company as the worker in the US, how is it fair that they are paid differently? There's also a massive difference in cost of living, and maybe it's fair to pay someone more because the business chooses to hold offices in an expensive place; OTOH, maybe it's more fair to pay everyone the same, and close offices in HCOL areas because you can't attract employees at a fair wage.
- anjc 10y ago
  Even if you could magically make everywhere have the same cost of living and have the same pool of talent, you're then left with a situation whereby it's cheaper to operate companies in some countries due to proximity of natural resources (production of steel-based products in China, for example, isn't just cheaper because workers are willing to work for less). You're never going to get equal pay for equal work on a global scale.
  - toast0 10y ago
    > You're never going to get equal pay for equal work on a global scale. Sure, but does that mean unequal pay is fair? And if it's unfair, isn't it unfair to both the worker who is paid less, and the worker who is paid more? If the system becomes more fair, workers who were paid more will see a wage decrease, but won't typically be excited to see more fairness. Maybe I'm just not understanding what you consider to be fair?

by anjc 10y ago

toast0 10y ago

Isn't the basic tenet of fair wages equal pay for equal work? If the work is essentially the same in all locations, it's unfair that the wages aren't the same everywhere. Certainly, the work may not be the same everywhere, and not all workers are providing the same level of work etc. If the worker in India provides the same value to the company as the worker in the US, how is it fair that they are paid differently? There's also a massive difference in cost of living, and maybe it's fair to pay someone more because the business chooses to hold offices in an expensive place; OTOH, maybe it's more fair to pay everyone the same, and close offices in HCOL areas because you can't attract employees at a fair wage.

anjc 10y ago
Even if you could magically make everywhere have the same cost of living and have the same pool of talent, you're then left with a situation whereby it's cheaper to operate companies in some countries due to proximity of natural resources (production of steel-based products in China, for example, isn't just cheaper because workers are willing to work for less). You're never going to get equal pay for equal work on a global scale.
- toast0 10y ago
  > You're never going to get equal pay for equal work on a global scale. Sure, but does that mean unequal pay is fair? And if it's unfair, isn't it unfair to both the worker who is paid less, and the worker who is paid more? If the system becomes more fair, workers who were paid more will see a wage decrease, but won't typically be excited to see more fairness. Maybe I'm just not understanding what you consider to be fair?