Question

Case presentation. "Working conditions in China"

In 2008, the National Labor Committee sponsored an investigation into working conditions in two factories in China that make computer equipment, including keyboards and printer cases, for Hewlett-Packard, Dell, Lenovo, and Microsoft. The report, which was published in early 2009, describes working conditions that are extremely harsh by Western standards. According to the report, in the Metai factory in Guangdong, the workers sit on wooden stools, without backrests, as 500 computer keyboards an hour move down the assembly line, 12 hours a day, seven days a week, with just two days off a month. Every 7.2 seconds a keyboard passes each worker, who has to snap six or seven keys into place-one key every 1.1 seconds. The assembly line never stops. The workplace is frantic, monotonous, numbing, and relentless. Each worker inserts 3,250 keys an hour; 35,750 keys during the official 11-hour shift; 250,250 a week, performing more than 1 million operations a month. Workers are paid 1/50th of a cent for each operation they complete. While work- ing, employees cannot talk, listen to music, or even lift their heads to look around. Workers needing to use the bathroom must hold it until there is a break. Security guards spy on the workers, who are prohibited from putting their hands in their pockets and are searched when they enter and leave the factory. The factory operates 24 hours a day on two 12-hour shifts, with the workers rotating between day and night shifts each month. The workers are at the factory for up to 87 hours a week, and all overtime is mandatory. There are two half-hour meal breaks per shift, but after racing to the cafeteria and lining up to get food, the workers have only about 15 minutes to eat. The base wage is 64 cents an hour, which after deductions for primitive room and board drops to a take-home wage of just 41 cents an hour. The workers get up about 6:00 AM. When they return to their dorm, sometime between 9:00 and 9:30 P.M., they bathe using a small plastic bucket. Summer tempera- tures routinely reach into the high 90s. During the winter, workers have to walk down several flights of stairs to fetch hot water in their buckets. Ten to twelve workers share each crowded dorm room, sleeping on narrow metal bunk beds that line the walls. Workers drape old sheets over their cubicle openings for privacy. Comments from the workers at this factory, most of whom are young women be- tween 18 and their mid-20s, reinforce how harsh the conditions are. One stated, "Every day I enter the factory and I assemble keyboards. My hands are moving constantly and i can't stop for a second. Our fingers, hands and arms are swollen and sore. Every day I do this for 12 hours. What makes it even worse is the constant pressure and boring monoto of the work," Another notes. "The factory rules are really like a private law. We are forced obey and endure management's harsh treatment. Some young workers have boyfriende and girlfriends outside the factory and if they want to go on a date, we have to ben the boss for mercy to be able to leave the factory compound." Another said simply. "We feel like we are serving prison sentences." When informed of these findings, a spokesman for Microsoft said the factory supplied one of its contract manufacturers, but Microsoft would investigate. Representatives from Hewlett-Packard and Lenovo also stated the factory was not a direct supplier, but supplied their suppliers. However, they too said they would look into the issue. A spokesman for Dell, for whom the factory is a direct supplier, said it was actively investigating conditions. The spokesman went on to say, "I can tell you that any reports of poor working conditions in Dell's supply chain are investigated and appropriate action is taken.

Q1) what are the recommendations FOR THIS PROBLEM? what should be done?

Answer 1

The case is frustrating and I can imagine the pathetic conditions of workers working at these places. However, there is always a chance for betterment if the management thinks so. The internet is filled with such cases and how one can improve it, but I will add some from my personal experiences which I have observed –

A small correction can yield a better result; according to me, the employers must do the following activities –

• Provide the workers with better sitting arrangements, it does not mean you have to spend a lot but there are several better and comfortable alternatives to a wooden stool. I think a wooden stool with a jute bag on top will be an easy fix. Please understand the workers have to work for 12 hours, 7 days a week. Give them a better working ambiance.
• Replace 2 shifts with 3 shifts, by doing this so many issues will be resolved. You have to manage fewer people as there are 3 shifts. The huge traffic of people while going and coming will be reduced as there are 3 shifts now. Also, the huge crowd during lunch will be taken care of automatically. There are several MNC’s who are trying this work schedule, so the employers must learn and incorporate these small changes.
• Fix the workplace by transforming it from frantic, monotonous, numbing and relentless to calm, exciting, lively and lenient
• The employer must remember it is due to the workers his survival depends so to give them life at work must be his priority
• Give them a better alary and cut-off with a suitable wage for an extra hour.
• Let them enjoy while work and do not give a feeling of bonded laborers rather incorporate a sense they willingly participate in the growth of the business. Listening to music, the discussion is one step towards such initiatives.
• Provide them with better living conditions where fewer people accommodate in a single room and use the bathrooms.
• The workers themselves try to seek help from other higher authorities in this regard.

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