Dell suppliers in China have been accused of human rights violations, as the company makes workers work for nearly 74 hours a week amid health risks, for as little as 66p an hour, a new report has revealed. An undercover recording by China Labour Watch and DanWatch revealed that Dell subcontractor Mingshuo Computers, which operates a 156,000m2 factory in Jiangsu province, south of Shanghai, breached a number of Chinese labour laws. According to the Guardian, the investigators entered and worked in Factory 6 at Minshuou, which builds computer motherboards for Dell, but the company also supplies other electronics brands, including ASUS, Samsung, and Microsoft. The report claimed that thousands of underage workers are employed by Pegatron, Mingshuo’s parent company. The report revealed that most of workers aged between 16 and 18 and were mostly hired through schools and recruiting agencies. In order to get into the factory, each young person must pay an agency fee between 16 dollars and 82 dollars. The work is segmented into an 8 hour working day, “with another 2.5 hours of overtime. In the non-peak season, they work 6 days a week and 26 days a month, while in the peak season it is 7 days a week and 30 days a month. If one wants to go to the bathroom or have some water, she needs to find a substitute and cannot leave without a permit. A worker cannot spend more than ten minutes in the bathroom. Dell said that it was “already in the process of auditing the suppliers referenced in the report” when it was contacted by DanWatch, the report added. (ANI)
