Dell, Hewlett-Packard and IBM have become the targets of a campaign against unacceptable working conditions in supply chains.
As part of its ‘Clean up your computer’ campaign, the Catholic Agency for Overseas Development (Cafod) is urging supporters to question the three companies about their supply chains, and to consider changing the sources from which they buy computers if the answers are unsatisfactory.
Cafod says its investigations at computer supplier factories in China, Mexico and Thailand have found instances of low pay, sometimes well below the national minimum wage, excessive overtime, short-term contracts of only 28 days, and discrimination against trade unionists.
It says it uncovered instances of harassment, including pregnancy tests and, in a factory in China, workers being forced to wear a red overcoat if they made mistakes.
All three companies say they are using ethical codes to try to improve conditions in their supply chains.