11 May, 2009At a roundtable meeting in Amsterdam with many of the world's major brand name electronics manufacturers, IMF joined with NGOs in calling on the companies to drop their hostility to trade unions and respect the rights of their workers to freedom of association.
NETHERLANDS: On May 7-8 in Amsterdam, makeITfair and the GoodElectronics network hosted a round table for the electronics industry and civil society organisations.
The aim was to enable discussions to take place between representatives of the world's major electronics brand name companies and unions and NGOs on how to improve labour standards in the industry.
The makeITfair campaign is a European project to inform young people across Europe about labour rights abuses and environmental problems in the manufacture of electronic products. The GoodElectronics network was co-founded by IMF and brings together unions, human rights organisations, labour organisations and others concerned with improving human rights and sustainability in the global electronics sector.
Industry participants at the roundtable included representatives of industry groupings the Electronic Industry Corporate Citizenship (EICC) and the Global e-sustainability Initiative (GeSI), as well as major individual companies, including suppliers. The industry was urged by the IMF, the EMF, trade unions and labour rights NGOs from production countries as well as organisations such as SOMO and CAFOD to recognise the central role of trade unions in improving labour standards and giving workers a voice at their workplace.
Poor working conditions are endemic in the production of computers, mobile phones and other electronic products. Many factors contribute to this situation, including the complicated product chain, the high percentage of outsourcing, rapid product developments, lack of unions, as well as weak implementation of (inter)national labour law.
Five years ago, electronics companies got together to develop a voluntary sector code, the EICC, but campaigning groups have pointed out weaknesses in the code itself and criticize its ineffective implementation.
At the roundtable, a range of more effective alternatives to the CSR approach adopted by the industry were presented and analysed. Presentations were made on the mature systems of industrial relations approach now favoured by leading clothing manufacturers that recognise the limitations of an approach based solely on implementing unilateral company codes of conduct.
Other strategies successfully employed in the textile and garment sector were also examined and consideration was given to how they could be adopted for the electronics sector. These include International Framework Agreements and the ILO's Better Work program.