Technology without Humanity?! Protest against Exploitation of Workers in Taiwan and China

Translated by Timo

Time: 2009 June 2 (Tue.) 9:30 am

Place: Taipei World Trade Center Nangang Exhibition Hall

Contact:

Secretary General of NAFITU, Chu Wei-Li 0981-238732；E-mail：wei-li-1210@yahoo.com.tw

English Contact：Torrent torrent.org@gmail.com

As a famous commercial slogan goes, “technology always comes from humanity.” But what we know now is, in stark contrast, the fact that workers are exploited in high-tech corporations. Why makes technology more and more inhuman?

COMPUTEX TAIPEI takes place from June 2, 2009 at Taipei World Trade Center Nangang Exhibition Hall. This is the largest professional computer exhibition in Asia and attracts as much as $1 billion USD from global corporations, making COMPUTEX an excellent place for Taiwanese computer suppliers to do business. However, behind these trendy tech commodities are bloody exploitation of labors in Taiwan and China. NAFITU, WINTEK labor bargaining team and other labor rights organizations will go to the opening of COMPUTEX Exhibition to expose the reality to the public, and request APPLE Inc. to execute its Code of Conduct, to end the exploitation of labors in Taiwan and China.

WINTEK does business with leading international corporations, including Apple Inc. , NOKIA, Motorola, Samsung, HTC, and HUAWEI. WINTEK is a famous supplier from Taiwan, and enjoys the largest market share in Taiwan in small size mobile phone panels and touch panels, and ranks No. 3 in the world. However, it has recently gained global notoriety for labor issues in Taiwan and China. (Owner: Huang Hsien-Hsiung, Address: No.10, Jianguo Rd., Tanzih Township, Taichung County, Taiwan).

In Dec. 2008, WINTEK laid off over 600 workers in Taiwan without any notice in advance and kept cutting workers’ salary, forcing unpaid leaves on employees, and paying no overtime wages. Recently, WINTEK received big and urgent orders and tried to force workers to do more work without any vacation or overtime pay. Many employees had to work during national holidays, or mandatory unpaid leaves without due salary. The company also exploits contract workers harshly ($110 TWD, equivalent of $3 USD per hour, with a contract lasting for three months).

Besides, MASSTOP in Dongguan, a subsidiary factory of WINTEK, cut workers’ salary, overtime pay and subsidies, and night-shift workers are forced to eat leftover food since morning, resulting in an incident of food poisoning on April 3, in which hundreds of workers fell ill. WINTEK even illegally laid off 19 workers who joined the strike against the foul working condition. (Please see June 2 News Release for more details).

NAFITU, WINTEK bargaining team, and other labor organizations will protest against WINTEK at the opening of COMPUTEX on June 2, 2009 at 9:30 am in Taipei World Trade Center Nangang Exhibition Hall. We strongly appeal to the major clients of WINTEK, such as Apple Inc. , NOKIA, Motorola, Samsung, HTC, and Quanta to take their corporate social responsibilities and follow the Supplier Code of Conduct to request WINTEK to resolve the labor issues.

Appeals / Demands

1. WINTEK must follow the international Supplier Code of Conduct and give jobs back to workers who were laid off in Taiwan and Mainland China, withdraw the lawsuit of defamation, and promise no retaliation on workers.

2. WINTEK must improve its working condition immediately, including overtime pay and appropriate meals provided in the factories in China.

3. We request to have third-party labour unions or organization to enter WINTEK’s factories to inspect its working condition, and let the public know the situation. Besides, these clients should review its order to WINTEK based on the results of the inspection and WINTEK’s improvement.

4. WINTEK must respect the will of the representatives of labours and make direct talks with them. These representatives should be chosen by WINTEK workers in Taiwan and Mainland China.

Organizations:

WINTEK bargaining team, National Federation of Independent Trade Unions, Taiwan Labor Information & Education Association…..the list is growing….