Applerecently , finally ostracize bonded servitudein its supply factories , which means those factories ca n’t mistreat prole by withhold paycheck and passports until they devote off the cost it took to engage them . But hold the applause . Because they are not the only party that has forced people to exercise for substandard pay — or none .
Many tech companies ( Apple specially ) are amassing ludicrous amounts of wealth , partly because they have deliberately select overseas manufacturing to keep costs down . Our tolerance for any doer right violation should be zero , because every time , say , Samsung gets back an audited account revealing the majority of its factoriesdo not comply with overtime lawsis an exemplar of how companies prioritize greed over establishing ethical practices .
This is an open call for any more entropy about major tech caller ’ overseas factory practices . How are these banning enforced ? What are the exact recoil factories find using attach labor face ? Do you work for one of these companies and love more about their practice ? I would love to hear from you .
I asked several other big tech companies what their official insurance policy on stick servitude are — my elementary question was : Do your company explicitly prohibit bonded servitude in its supply manufactory , as Apple now does ?
Here is what I learned , and some questions that linger :
Apple ’s biggest smartphone - making rival take a firm stand it does not use bonded servitude in its supplying chemical chain . Here ’s the financial statement a spokesperson gave me :
Samsung value the global connection of employees at all of our manufacture quickness . We follow the local and global parturiency standards and regulations and our supplier are required to do the same . We have put into place very rigid insurance policy that are design to prevent and address upshot include stick labor .
Under the policy , supplier are required to prohibit their authority from collecting commission from employee of the supplier in link with employment . To ensure these policies are enforce , Samsung regularly audits supplier , and bonded Labor Department is a required field of the audit .
Samsung did not explain when it begin include bonded childbed in its audit . So even though it has the same stance as Apple , it ’s heavy to gauge whether it has been a loss leader in the study of not tolerate New slavery or if it also only latterly put these policies into spot . This reach me wonder which company actually ostracize attach servitude first .
The only one who gave me a timeline gave me bans that happened in the retiring few years , so it does n’t seem like any of them had a head scratch .
LG did not reply to my request . Its Supplier Code of Conductprohibitsbonded proletariat .
Update 2/24 : LG react . “ As a matter of policy , we audit our facility and suppliers ’ facility at least twice a year using EICC guidelines and we also conduct unscheduled on - site visit to see to it compliance of our codification . In Asia ( with accent on China ) , we have not found any example of bonded labor in the five year that I have been at LG . We keep on to review our practices with a decisive eye looking for room to make improvements . We know this is an on-going effort and we are uncoerced to take the step necessary to see that we stay ahead of thecurve when it come to worker ’ rights , ” Global Communications director Ken Hong wrote .
Toshiba ’s North America PR individual told me I had to go through Toshiba bodied in Japan . The Toshiba corporate media contact did not reply to me , however .
HP ’s spokesperson manoeuvre me to an announcement about the company ’s Foreign Migrant Worker Standard , started in 2014 . This standard doesexplicitly prohibitbonded servitude . So HP , like Apple , has taken a potent position against bonded servitude … that it cement only a few months ago .
Lenovo ’s voice punctuate that the companionship “ most for certain does not exercise “ bonded servitude ” in its mill . ” He noted that Lenovoconductspublic audits , and take part in the Electronics Industry Citizenship Coalition and uses the EICC code of conduct , which does n’t allow forced labour , as well as the UN Global Compact , which does n’t allow forced labor .
The language used about adhere labor in the supplying chain was a little weird . The representative state Lenovo “ works to ensure that none of our suppliers engage in this practice , as well . ” I asked if that meant it was explicitly interdict , and what the effect are if Lenovo does catch suppliers using attach servitude . I am awaiting a reception .
Nokia did not respond to my request .
Huawei did not respond to my asking .
Dell did not respond to my request . I found itssupply chain standardsonline :
Debt thrall : force , bonded or apprenticed labor ; involuntary prison labor ; slavery or trafficking of individual shall not to be used . All work will be voluntary in the production of Dell ™ ware and table service .
As with the other company , the oral communication is evenhandedly explicit , but again , there ’s nothing on how Dell impose these prohibition .
Sony did not respond to my request . I found itssupply chain standardson the internet , though , and they disallow debt thralldom and hold recommendation . Interestingly , they forbid “ excessive fees ” and say that “ all fee to worker must be disclose . ” But I ’m wondering what the definition of extravagant fee is ; perhaps enlisting fee are take into account to a certain extent .
The fact that these tech troupe did n’t bother e-mail a blogger back is not , of course , evidence that they allow bonded servitude . But the deficiency of transparency is not great . Companies should be aggressively defending their provision mountain range conditions under intense scrutiny . Even the companies that answered me did not excuse how they enforce their bans beyond saying “ we have audit . ”
HP ’s Global Manager of Supply Chain Responsibility , Bob Mitchell , appearsthe mosttransparent about the company ’s development on workers ’ rights , but these companies should be eager to play up the pragmatic step they take to keep and punish modern slavery . How many instances of discovering bonded labor would it take to sever ties with a factory ? How do these ship’s company check that that factories pay back worker who they have withheld wages from or forced to pay off recruitment fees ?
Again : This is an unfastened call for any more information about major tech companies ’ abroad factory practices . Can you prove any of these no response companies do or do not allow bonded servitude ( or any other human rights violation ) ? Do you act for one of these companies and know more about their practice session ? I would bed to get word from you .
ApplePoliticsSamsungslavery
Daily Newsletter
Get the best tech , science , and culture news show in your inbox day by day .
News from the hereafter , delivered to your nowadays .
You May Also Like
