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Chips, phone factories exploit workers — study

10/06/2008

Mobile phone manufacturers in the country and those in China were identified by a European Union-funded study as rampantly violating the rights of workers.

The report, published as part of the EU’s makeITfair campaign, stated that young electronics workers reportedly handle chemicals without protective gear, work inhumane overtime hours to cover basic needs and are punished if they make mistakes.

“As prices of mobile phones steadily decline, the factory workers that manufacture our (European) phones in China and the Philippines continue to pay a very high price. Young women in Asian factories are denied their basic rights and have few or no means of improving their situation since independent unions are often prohibited,” Sara Nordbrand, researcher at SwedWatch which published the report, said.

Labor conditions at six factories that produce components for Nokia, Samsung, Motorola, LG, Sony Ericsson and Apple’s iPhone in China and the Philippines were investigated for the research.

The research revealed that working conditions in these factories violate national laws, conventions of the International Labor Organization as well as the mobile phone companies’ own codes of conduct on issues such as working hours and use of hazardous chemicals.

While Philippine exports only account for about two percent of global electronics output, the country currently manufactures 10 percent of the world’s semiconductors and 50 percent of all 2.5-inch hard disk drives, the report noted.

The report said despite laws that prohibit gender discrimination, the International Trade Union Confederation reports sexual harassments, pregnancy tests and other violations of women’s rights in the Philippine export processing zones.

In some factories single women are preferred over married ones, allegedly because managers want to avoid paying

In the Philippines there is a growing trend towards ‘contractualization’ in the electronics

industry, the report noted.

It said that based on researches made, a company employs the minimum number of skilled workers and will hire other workers, often for jobs that need fewer skills, on a contractual basis.

“Companies also deal with the fluctuations in orders by only employing a basic amount of workers and adding workers in periods when the demand from the buyers is strong,” it added.

“Every second, 36 mobile phones are manufactured and half of them are made in China. Asia has become the world’s electronics factory, and most of the mobile phones are produced by female workers aged 16 to 30,” according to the report.

MakeITfair has investigated labor conditions at six factories that produce components for Nokia, Samsung, Motorola, LG, Sony Ericsson and Apple’s iPhone in China and the Philippines. The research revealed that working conditions there violate national laws, conventions of the International Labour Organization as well as the mobile phone companies’ own codes of conduct on issues such as working hours and use of hazardous chemicals.

“High rates of production and tough discipline are required at the assembly lines. The report claims that workers often work 10 to 12 hours per day, six to seven days per week, and minimum wages have become standard as basic wages for full time work,” according to the report.

The mobile phone companies mentioned in the report were given the opportunity to comment on makeITfair’s findings, and the lobby group says that one of them is questioning the low wage levels at the factories.

MakeITfair’s study shows that the low wages partly explain a wide range of other problems that the brand name companies promise to combat in their codes of conduct. Low wages for full-time work at the factory mean that workers must put up with inhumane overtime hours in order to make ends meet.

“Some workers fall asleep on the job or make mistakes because they are exhausted; this in turn leads to wage deductions that reduce their salary even further. The quick pace of work forces some workers to forego protective equipment even though they are handling chemicals that may harm their health,” it said.

“Health and safety is not only about providing the right equipment, but also about giving the employees the possibility to use it. Workers we have interviewed for this report show symptoms that are typical for mishandling of chemicals. Education and a reasonable work pace are urgently needed if their health is to be protected”, said Jenny Chan at Hong Kong-based SACOM, which coordinated the research in China.

In both China and the Philippines, electronics workers are silenced through anti-union tactics used by both the employers and the state. In China, the number of strikes and the reports about violations of labour rights to the authorities have increased significantly the last few years, a trend that the government has tried to counter by introducing more thorough labor laws. However, labor inspections are few, and free and independent unions are prohibited.