On December 10, International Human Rights Day, GoodElectronics Network calls for enhanced protections for workers’ human rights across global electronics supply chains, and the end of complicity of tech giants in Israel’s war in Gaza.
The ILO reports that more than 26 million men and women work in manufacturing and assembly of electronics hardware worldwide (electronics, machinery and electrical equipment sector), with the majority based in Asia. Further, ILO country and sector reports, as well as documentations by GE Network members, explicitly document recurring issues for electronics workforce, often experiencing precarious working conditions, poverty wages, weak access to social protection, long hours, exposure to chemical and ergonomic risks, weak occupational health measures and lack of gender-sensitive policies.
Despite international labor standards clearly guaranteeing the protection of human rights, and the fundamental freedoms of workers, we continue to face barriers in organizing and accessing remedies. These challenges disproportionately affect women and migrant workers who are less represented in unions and policy making.
Women in the electronics industry are concentrated in the most basic tasks and as a result earn on average 16% less than their male colleague. Country level reports such as Viet Nam, the Phililppines, Thailand and Indonesia indicate that 63-68% of electronics industry workforce are women (2023). In China, 70.25% of electronics industry workforce are women.
There is also a report by Setem, a GoodElectronics Network member, on working conditions in the electronics factories from a gender perspective. Cases of sexual harassment, reduced access to facilities (e.g., separate toilets), risks during night shifts and commuting, and the vulnerability of contract or outsourced female workers are contributing factors in the worsening conditions in the supply chain.
“As we commemorate the International Human Rights Day, we affirm our commitment to fight for human rights, as we seek dignity and justice for workers across the global electronics industry,” – Eleanor de Guzman, Global Coordinator.
Electronic devices are one of the most widely used products among the vast rage of technical consumer goods. Asia Pacific dominated the consumer electronics industry both as its largest market (38.08% market share in 2024) and as the primary producing region. According to the UN Conference on Trade and Development, East and Southeast Asia account for the majority of global electronics exports, driven by extensive manufacturing clusters in China, South Korea, Japan, Taiwan, Vietnam, and Malaysia. The International Labour Organization estimates that more than two-thirds of the global electronics manufacturing workforce is based in Asia-Pacific. The intensifying production and competition in the industry, propelled by drive for profits and wants for wars, put workers and communities at great risk, often leading to wage suppression and theft, widespread use of temporary and migrant labor, forced labor, and attacks on freedom of association.
The industry valued at nearly USD 2.5 trillion in 2024 is increasingly entangled with war and militarization, raising serious concerns about plunder of resources from production regions and corporate complicity. The industry’s reliance on minerals such as cobalt, tantalum, tin, tungsten, and rare earth elements links electronics production to conflict-affected and militarized regions. The UNCTAD notes that electronics and electrical goods constitute one of the largest categories in global trade, supplying not only consumer devices but also semiconductors, sensors, communications equipment, and surveillance technologies used in military and security applications.
“GoodElectronics Network demands that governments, manufacturers, and brands, commit and implement concrete steps that strengthen due diligence and specifically addresses barriers on freedom of association, collective bargaining and the right to strike, gender rights, living wages, and respect for human rights throughout the supply chain. An industry built on technological innovation must not enable war and abuse of peoples’ democratic and collective rights,” – Rochelle Porras, Regional Coordinator of Asia and the Pacific.
The GoodElectronics Network also supports the call to end Israeli occupation of Palestine. Human-rights groups and UN special rapporteur Francesca Albanese have investigated complicity of tech giants in enabling, profiting from and sustaining the settler-colonial system of displacement and replacement of Palestinians. The report states that companies often ignored their due‐diligence responsibilities, remained linked to the occupation, and made economic profit from displacement, destruction, blockade, and restructuring of Palestinian life. Various investigative reports from civil society organizations name Microsoft, Google (part of Alphabet), Starlink (part of SpaceX), Amazon, OpenAI, and Palantir Tech as complicit in international humanitarian law violations.
“The members of GoodElectronics Network is in solidarity with all trade unions and communities demanding an end to the acts of genocide in Gaza, and upholding the core principles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. We are committed to stand for human rights and take action for freedom, justice and lasting peace.” – Ana Patricia Santos, Campaigns and Advocacy Staff.
