Of all the major computer and electronics makers, Apple has talked the most about its plans to improve conditions for workers in its Chinese factories. Now, though, HP is in the spotlight, announcing efforts today to improve conditions for student workers in its plants.
“We have seen a growing trend in the use of student labor because we
have been monitoring the levels,” Tony Prophet, HP’s Senior Vice
President for Worldwide Supply Chain Operations, told ABC News. “Our
view is that it’s going to be a better situation if the levels were
lower and if the students who are involved in this it somehow related to
their curricula, so it is truly edifying for them to be in
the environment.”
Hewlett-Packard, which developed the guidelines with China’s Center
for Child Rights, aims to limit student labor and the hours students
spend working in factories. In a press release listing the new
standards, HP says that all work must be voluntary and that student
workers “shall be free to leave work at any time upon reasonable notice
without negative repercussions.” HP’s guidelines also say students’
working hours must be below the legal limit (some Chinese workers try to
work longer hours to make extra money) and that the number of student
workers must be limited. Finally, HP says it wants to encourage students
to pursue their areas of study and says that student work “must
complement the primary area of study.”
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