‘Meeting the Challenge’ on compensation and remediation
Because the work of electronics manufacture is characterised by multiple exposures to chemicals and substances that may be incompletely tested, inadequately regulated and frequently changed, it is particularly important that governments develop and implement employer-funded compensation systems designed to support victims of toxic exposures in the workplace and the community.
Fair compensation mechanisms must ensure that workers and community members who are harmed by exposure qualify for and receive emergency relief; adequate, just and timely compensation; and treatment and rehabilitation for as long as is needed to fully address and, when possible, correct the harm.
Remedies and funding mechanisms must be designed to ensure that the brands shoulder responsibility for potential harm by internalising all costs of health and environmental degradation that are currently externalised. This will incentivise the use of safer materials and processes to prevent future harm.