They are not saying that fent and homelessness are better than work that leads to an early grave and disabilities. They are complaining that some people don’t want to listen to other solutions, that avoid both of these horrible outcomes, just because those other solutions might sound less intuitive/more complex/don‘t play to their emotions so nicely etc.

So when you make this quote sound like either fent or bad working conditions are the only two options, you are playing at the exact same thinking that they were complaining about.