Report Throws Spotlight On Electronics Industry Labour

Thermomix, Nutri-Bullet and GoPro were among the worst performing companies with a D-, while Garmin (B) and Dick Smith (B-) were among the best performers.

“Forced labour, child labour and exploitation remain as significant problems in the supply chain of the electronics industry,” Gershon Nimbalker, Baptist World Aid Australia advocacy manager, commented upon the report’s release.

“This is the most valuable industry in the world, worth in the trillions. If anyone can afford to ensure they have an ethical supply chain, it’s our big tech companies.”

The report, now in its second year, graded the companies “from A to F on the practices and policies they have in place to mitigate the risk of forced labour, child labour and exploitation”.

Since the report’s release in 2014, 64 per cent of companies showed some improvement.

Baptist World Aid stated the median C grade suggests “workers remain overworked and underpaid, working long shifts with no overtime pay, little rest, and wages so low families struggle to make ends meet”.

“This lack of a living wage was a top concern as it meant workers still would not be able to afford the basics – food, water, shelter and electricity,” Baptist World Aid stated.