Tech giants to 'do more' for workers

A report into working conditions within electronics production in developing countries has given the technology industry a "wake-up call", according to Dell.

Report looked into conditions of workers making computer parts

The research by Catholic development agency, Cafod, has highlighted examples of what it says is harassment, discrimination and intolerable working conditions in factories which supply computer parts for companies like Dell, Hewlett Packard and IBM.

Cafod is urging the companies to take more responsibility for people working in and ensure UN-approved codes of conduct are properly adhered to.

"Some of the specific examples raised in the report are clearly not consistent with our values as a company," said Barry French, director of public affairs at Dell.

"I would view it as a wake-up call to ensure we continue to focus on this really important area," he told the BBC World Service programme Go Digital.

Dell said the report had raised some serious issues which it would be looking in to, but it had already taken steps to ensure its global suppliers understand the company's core principles.

'Union discrimination'

The companies Go Digital spoke to insisted they had strong policies in place already to protect workers in developing countries, and that they took responsibility for worker welfare.

Katherine Astill, author of the report, said the report found many workers in Mexico were encountering discrimination in the recruitment process.

"Anybody who showed signs of causing trouble by being involved in a union, or whose families were involved in a union, won't be given a job," she said.

Many are unaware of employers' responsibilities, say the report authors

The researchers also found that workers were kept on short-term contracts which, Cafod claimed, were used as ways of denying them their legal employee rights.

Many workers in Taiwan-owned factories lacked basic health and safety protection in their workplace, according to the report.

Monina Wong, who led the research in China, said a lot of the workers were migrant women who had expected a clean working environment because they were in the computer industry.

But solvents were being handled without proper precautions, they were working 12 to 16 hours a day without earning the minimum wage for that time, and many were testing monitors for 10 hours a day with no rest.

"They would get two thirds of the minimum wage so they would have to work a lot of overtime to make up for it," she added.

Much of the problem is that many of the workers were not aware of the responsibilities for worker conditions and rights that big technology companies have, the report said.

Fair and safe

A spokesperson for HP said it was working with its suppliers on an on-going basis to ensure their ways of working reflected its company values, and were consistent with HP's employee and environmental standards.

"We are committed to investigating any specific allegations further that have been made in the report," said a spokesperson in a statement to Go Digital.

"We do not, and would not, accept or condone any illegal or unethical practices in our supply chain."

It added it would continue to work with suppliers, development agencies, employee groups and government organisations to make sure workers were treated fairly and safely.

IBM said it had already taken action after assessing Cafod's report. It was proactively reinforcing its policy against workplace discrimination with its suppliers.

It added it was updating its supplier agreement, "to include new language that specifically prohibits them from discriminating against employees and applicants for employment because of race, colour, religion, sex, age, national origin or any other legally protected status."