GoodElectronics report: Worker exposure to hazardous substances in the electronics industry constitutes exploitation by deception
Author: Baskut Tuncak (Common Rights), Alejandro González (GoodElectronics Network) & Jonathan Örnberg (Common Rights), Published on: 8 January 2019
"Paper: Exploitation by deception in the electronics industry", 3 December 2018
The GoodElectronics paper “Exploitation by deception in the electronics industry” argues that, when workers are not provided with relevant information about the toxic and otherwise hazardous substances in the workplace they are actually or potentially being exposed to, this could constitute exploitation by deception.
The report further argue that exploitation by deception regarding toxic exposures could and should be an actionable offence under various laws, such as the UK 2015 Modern Slavery Act and international human rights and labour laws.
The report describes the problem of deception in the electronics industry, followed by an analysis of the normative framework for workers’ rights that are relevant to the problem at hand. The normative analysis focuses on modern slavery, the right to information and the right to safe and healthy work. The report concludes by outlining States’ obligations and businesses’ responsibilities and makes recommendations to States, businesses and workers’ representatives.
Download the full report, here.