Adverse Effects
But there are dark sides too in the relatively short history of these special economic zones. One result is the loss of human dignity of labor and more alarmingly, the loss of hard-won labor union rights. Since many of the SEZ operate within secured geographic enclosures, many abuses are committed by some employers with the tacit knowledge of the country’s authorities. Some economics academicians have also questioned whether there is any real transfer of technology as touted by the promoters of SEZ. Much of the physical work inside the SEZ locators are repetitive and requires only minimum skill sets on the worker. In effect, the zone workers did not learn anything new and failed to upgrade their skills altogether. The article called “Behind the Wire: Anti-Union Repression in the Export Processing Zones” gives a somewhat comprehensive view about union repression and the suspension or non-implementation of most workers’ rights :
http://www-old.itcilo.org/actrav/actrav-english/telearn/global/ilo/frame/epzicftu.htm
Another undesirable aspect of SEZ are their effects on the environment in the areas where they are located. The heavy use of some chemical and other toxic materials contribute to the heavy degradation of the environment. In the example of Shenzhen, a small community suddenly transformed into a metropolis of 10 million inhabitants in a short span of two decades has resulted in its being tagged as a “hot spot”. Pollution coming from its factories and other establishments is so massive that even the people living inside this zone are suffering from the ill-effects of improper toxic waste disposal.
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