Posted by denised in 
In January, human rights activists issued a report that shed light on working conditions inside the Taiwanese owned Metai factory in Dongguan City, Guangdong province. The report was based on research conducted between June and October 2008. Metai employs about 2,000 workers, mostly women, who produce various computer parts including keyboards and printer cases for Microsoft, Hewlett-Packard and Lenovo. The factory also reportedly manufactures equipment for IBM and Dell, but neither IBM nor Dell would confirm by the time the National Labor Committee (NLC) released its report.
Work area
Charles Kernaghan worked on the report for the NLC and says that workers sit on wooden stools for up to 12 hours a day, 7 days a week. Overtime is mandatory and workers get an average of 2 days off a month. Workers are at the factory an average of 81 hours per week, exceeding China’s legal overtime limit by over 300%. A 75 hour work week equates to approximately .60 cents an hour. Workers in many factories across China share the same harsh working conditions, but workers at the Metai factory are not allowed to talk or listen to music while working. Each night 10-12 migrant workers sleep on metal bunk beds that line the walls of their dorm rooms.
Bed lined dorm room walls
Sweatshops are not new to our conversations about inhumane working conditions throughout the world, but as our economy drives consumers to seek lower and lower prices, corporations will make changes slowly, if at all, to address the problem of exploited workers. As consumers of these products what role should we play in helping to curb this problem? Are we willing to pay higher prices so that others may have more rights? And what role should these governments and companies play? When the NLC contacted HP and Microsoft, both companies replied that they were aware of the report and were committed to the fair treatment and safety of workers who produce their products. Bad bosses or just the price of capitalism? Source:
