The report focuses on working conditions in the production of consumer electronics such as mobile phones and laptops in Poland. Since the majority of workers involved in this production are women, and as the report is prepared by Karat Coalition, a non-governmental organisation focusing on gender issues including working conditions in manufacturing, the report places emphasis on the working conditions of women workers including any forms of direct and indirect gender discrimination.
The situation of women employed in electronic industry in Poland is quite specific: Poland has been an EU member state since May 2004, but unfortunately until today the working conditions of women producing electronic equipment and particularly their wages are not in line with those available to workers in other, in particular „old” EU states. In fact some aspects of the working conditions in Polish factories can be
compared to the conditions in factories in the developing world.
The research focusing on Poland is the first one of three fact-funding studies to be conducted in new EU Member States where some of the production of next-generation consumer electronics is located. In 2008 and 2009 similar research will be conducted in Czech Republic and Hungary.
This report is part of the „makeITfair” project designed to raise awareness about development issues in the production chain of the electronics industry, with a special focus on young consumer electronics, including mobile phones, MP3 players, game consoles and laptops.
The focus of the project is on the electronics industry, as this industry is growing rapidly and is facing many social and environmental problems throughout the world. The industry has only recently been the focus of
public campaigns, and there is still limited awareness amongst the wider public.
Read the report (pdf)