Latest News
Labour standards remain critical risk for firms manufacturing in China – Maplecroft report
03 September 2010
A recent spate of stories focusing on electronics companies with manufacturing operations in the Special Economic Zones (SEZs) have highlighted poor labour standards and reputational risks relevant to all multinational corporations with subsidiaries and supply chains in China. According to a recent Maplecroft report, the SEZs are well-known for their ability to attract foreign investors because of tax incentives and a large pool of cheap labour. However, SEZs are also subject to a prevalence of labour rights violations due to weak enforcement of labour laws. This can be attributed to underfunded, untrained and sometimes corrupt local labour departments not having the resources to monitor workplaces properly.
Human rights or corporate interests?: hidden agenda of companies involved in Congo-lobby
31 August 2010
The past few years, a considerable lobby has come up protesting the trade in minerals produced with child labour or other human rights abuses, especially when minerals from the Democratic Republic of Congo are concerned. A most diverse group of stakeholders is involved in this lobby. Not all companies involved have the interests of the Congo at heart, however. Raf Custers did research into the real agenda of lobbyists and mining companies.
Killing the economy in the name of peace? Pole Institute reflects upon the new US "conflict minerals" legislation for the DRC
26 August 2010
Hidden away in an ambitious piece of financial sector reform legislation, the US Congress has passed a law aiming to cut the link between mineral trade and persistent conflict in Eastern DRC. It is a laudable goal, but the means employed risk causing considerable economic damage in Eastern Congo, according to the Goma-based Pole Institute. The end effect would then be the opposite of that intended: pushing people towards conflict rather than leading them towards peace. Pole Institutes warns for a simplification of the real motives and dynamics behind the Congolese conflicts.
Violence used against protesting Gold Peak Battery workers in Huizhou, China
26 August 2010
Since 16 August, ex-workers of Gold Peak Batteries who are suffering from excessive levels of cadmium are once again trying to engage the company into negotiations about compensation for their health problems. So far, GP has ignored the workers’ demands. On 24 August, over a hundred workers staged a protest outside Gold Peak's factory in Huizhou. Some hours into the demonstration, the protesting workers representatives were surrounded and beaten up by a large group of thugs. A number of workers was badly injured and needed hospitalisation. Shockingly, the thugs told that they were paid 50 dollars to beat up protesting workers. Reportedly, two GP security guards assisted in bringing in the thugs. Workers concerned point a finger at GP for staging this violent incident which is strongly condemned by civil society organisations in Hong Kong and elsewhere. Gold Peak however refuses to pay for the medical expenses. The workers raised fund among themselves in order to pay for the hospital bills. In an open letter, 200 workers express their shock and anger.
makeITfair and Pole Institute organise round table on conflict minerals in Goma, DRC
26 August 2010
On 1-2 December, makeITfair and the Goma-based Pole Institute are organising a round table on the issue of conflict minerals. The aim of this round table is to provide a platform of input sharing between local Congolese stakeholders, representatives of international initiatives, and brand companies. The round table will follow up on publications by Pole Institute and makeITfair, reflecting local views on the reforms of the Congolese mining sector. Pole Institute and makeITfair maintain that there is a need for increased Congolese involvement in the ongoing efforts to curb the trade of ‘conflict minerals’ from the region.
