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Surge of manufacturing protests in China deserves international attention
The electronics industry has long been concentrated in China. Largely for geopolitical reasons, the industry is now reorganising itself spatially, including by moving production to other countries such as Vietnam and India. However, this process…
The decades-long legal struggle of Taiwanese electronics workers
Great piece by Paul Jobin on the decades-long (legal) struggle of Taiwanese workers producing for US and later French television companies, who contracted cancer or other illnesses from exposure to toxic substances. The workers, mainly comprising women,…
Ban methanol use and prioritize worker safety – Korean civic groups stand united in condemning Samsung after fatal poisoning incident at supplier partner in Vietnam
Samsung’s environmental safety officer blew the whistle on lax management at their Bac Ninh factory in Vietnam, raising concerns about air filtration systems, wastewater treatment tanks, and the use of dangerous chemicals. Despite years of…
Lithium: towards a necessary sufficiency
NégaWatt, an organization focused on sustainable energy, has released a report about lithium, a crucial element for making Li-ion batteries. The report emphasizes the importance of electric vehicles in fighting climate change. However, it warns that if…
Union accuses Apple of firing workers in retaliation for organizing
The Communications Workers of America (CWA) union has accused Apple of firing five workers in Kansas City and disciplining another in Texas in retaliation for organizing, and of interrogating employees, promising them better working conditions if they…
Workers at DRC’s industrial cobalt mines pushed further into poverty
“Around the world, companies engaged in the energy transition seem to be making record profits, while the Congolese workers who are bringing cobalt to global markets are falling further into poverty. The switch to clean…
Viet Nam’s electronics supply chain: Decent work challenges and opportunities.
Apple and Foxconn lobby to lax Indian labour laws
Apple and Foxconn have their eye on Karnataka, in South India, to build a very large factory producing iPhones there. They are using their corporate influence to push for relaxation of labor laws. According to…
Electric vehicles are a good thing – but not if everybody owns one
As the EU prepares to formally approve a new regulation to improve the sustainability of batteries used in electric vehicles, SOMO has published a powerful set of data visualisations showing the huge planned increase in…
Protests erupt as nickel mining company fatalities escalate
Fatalities in a Chinese-owned nickel smelting company in Indonesia have triggered hundreds of workers to strike to demand justice. The strike happened after failed negotiations between the union and the company. The article details the…