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Electronics Watch: Utilizar el poder de la contratación pública para lograr la mayor liquidación posible de comisiones de contratación de trabajadores/as migrantes

Written by Peter Pawlicki, Electronics Watch

Proyecto / Programa

Electronics Watch

Región / País

Tailandia y Europa

Sitio web

https://electronicswatch.org/es

Circularidad

Risk of forced labour reduced

 

Resumen

Electronics Watch es una organización independiente que ofrece a compradores/as del sector público la posibilidad de monitorear la cadena de suministros y verificar el cumplimiento de los criterios sociales establecidos en contratos de equipos de tecnologías de información y comunicación (TIC).

El modelo de monitoreo a cargo de los/as trabajadores/as y la participación de la industria ha resultado exitoso, convirtiéndose en una norma de aceptación internacional en las contrataciones públicas.

En 2019, Electronics Watch, sus afiliados/as y su sociedad local de monitoreo lograron prestar apoyo a más de 10.000 trabajadores/as migrantes en Tailandia para que recibieran reembolsos por el pago de comisiones ilegales de contratación.

Sobre el proyecto

Public buyers such as universities, hospitals, counties, cities and other public institutions buy large volumes of electronic hardware such as desktop/laptop computers, servers, smartphones and printers. The underlying multi-year contracts with electronics brands enable leverage that public buyers can use to address workers’ rights and environmental concerns in their supply chains.

Compradores del sector público, entre ellos universidades, hospitales, gobiernos locales, ciudades y otras instituciones públicas compran grandes volúmenes de equipos electrónicos como ordenadores de mesa y portátiles, servidores, teléfonos inteligentes e impresoras. Los contratos subyacentes de muchos años con marcas de productos electrónicos permiten a quienes hacen compras públicas abordar los derechos de trabajadores y trabajadoras y las preocupaciones ambientales en sus cadenas de suministro.

Electronics Watch es una red de socios/as de monitoreo y de más de 330 compradores/as del sector público de Europa. Quienes monitorean son organizaciones de sociedad civil que se encuentran cerca de las comunidades de trabajadores/as en las regiones donde se realiza la producción y que utilizan una metodología impulsada por los/as trabajadores/as para supervisar riesgos y violaciones de los derechos laborales en las fábricas e industrias. A partir de sus informes, Electronics Watch trabaja junto con las marcas, fabricantes y la asociación industrial Responsible Business Alliance (RBA) para superar los riesgos y subsanar violaciones.

En 2020, sólo en el área del monitoreo y la transparencia de la cadena de suministro, Electronics Watch concretó estas acciones:

  • Realizó una investigación de la cadena de suministro de las principales industrias fabricantes de equipamiento original, incluyendo a 71 proveedores.

  • Publicó una evaluación de riesgo regional de Vietnam.

  • Evaluó el riesgo en diez fábricas.

  • Documentó y respondió a las quejas de trabajadores/as por vulneración de derechos en cinco fábricas.

  • Llevó a cabo nueve investigaciones de cumplimiento completo.

  • Se unió a ocho marcas para mejorar las condiciones.

  • Verificó la mejora de condiciones en siete fábricas.

Riesgo de explotación de trabajadores/as en Tailandia

En 2016, el socio de Electronics Watch, Migrant Worker Rights Network (MWRN ̣- la Red de Derechos de Trabajadores MIgrantes) registró violaciones a los derechos de los/as trabajadores/as en Cal-Comp, Tailandia. Personas migrantes de Myanmar que habían sido subcontratadas en dos instalaciones de Cal-Comp en Tailandia estaban en riesgo de ser explotadas a través de la imposición de una deuda y la retención de sus documentos. La deuda se debía a una comisión excesiva de contratación.

En ese momento, Cal-Comp le suministraba impresoras, unidades de disco rígido externo y otras unidades informáticas periféricas a empresas de marcas tales como HP, Seagate y Western Digital. Una buena parte de la fuerza de trabajo de Cal-Comp en Tailandia estaba compuesta por trabajadores y trabajadoras migrantes de Myanmar.

Electronics Watch and MWRN documented a number of labour rights violations, including:

  • Passports and other documents were taken and withheld from workers.
  • Migrant workers had to pay recruitment fees and related costs to get the job with Cal-Comp. These recruitment fees were excessive and unlawful. Recruitment fees were equivalent to 30 to 90 days of workers’ wages.

Electronics Watch learned that labour agents sought to coerce workers at Cal-Comp to lie to social auditors about their recruitment fees and related expenses. These agents threatened workers that buyers would pull their orders if workers reported their full costs in upcoming audits and that workers would, consequently, face dramatically reduced overtime or even lose their jobs.

Industry engagement

The compliance report on all findings was shared with the main brand companies linked to the factories and Cal-Comp as well as the RBA. The RBA conducted independent social audits and developed corrective action plans, while MWRN and Electronics Watch monitored the impact through close communication with workers.

After more than three years of investigations, monitoring and engagement with brand companies, the manufacturer and the RBA, Electronics Watch and MWRN were able to achieve major improvements, including:

  • Since 2017, migrant workers employed by Cal-Comp hold their own passports and work permits.
  • In November 2019, Cal-Comp fully reimbursed at least 10,570 workers[1] in the largest single company settlement of migrant worker recruitment fees ever.
  • Cal-Comp has stopped hiring migrant workers until they have developed an ethical recruitment policy to ensure that no worker pays for their job at Cal-Comp.

Conclusion

This case shows that the Electronics Watch model of worker-driven monitoring is essential to detect and address forced labour. MWRN’s rapport with workers, their everyday access to workers, and their ongoing careful recording of workers’ recruitment experiences were essential to understanding the full extent of the risks of forced labour and debt bondage that migrant workers face and to defining the full reimbursements and remediation they are owed.

Ongoing industry engagement by Electronics Watch, supported by affiliates’ communication with their suppliers, is central to remediating violations and improving working conditions.

Public procurement has strong leverage with its supply chains that it can utilise to support sustainable improvements for workers and affected communities. To be able to drive positive change, public buyers need to be able to rely on independent monitoring for verification.

 

References and further reading

Cal-Comp Compliance Report. https://electronicswatch.org/en/compliance-report-update-cal-comp-samut-sakorn-and-petchaburi-thailand-october-2018_2555998.pdf

Cal-Comp: A Lesson in the Importance of Worker-Driven Monitoring to End Forced Labour in Global Supply Chains. https://electronicswatch.org/cal-comp-a-lesson-in-the-importance-of-worker-driven-monitoring-to-end-forced-labour-in-global-supply-chains-february-2020_2569307.pdf

Remedy Proposal for Cal-Comp Workers. https://electronicswatch.org/en/remedy-proposal-for-cal-comp-thailand-workers-february-2019_2556087.pdf

Electronics Watch Annual Report 2020. https://electronicswatch.org/electronics-watch-annual-report-2020_2591374.pdf''''''''''''''''''''''''''''

[1] Electronics Watch. (2020, 28 February). Largest settlement of migrant worker recruitment fees in any one company - how did we get there? https://electronicswatch.org/en/largest-settlement-of-migrant-worker-recruitment-fees-in-any-one-company-how-did-we-get-there-_2569363