24 October 2010 | Lindsay Clark
Global computer giant Microsoft has responded to criticism of working conditions in its supply chain, according to the company’s corporate social responsibility report.
Microsoft said it had examined its supplier management following a report from the international non-profit organisation National Labor Committee (NLC) which warned of poor workforce conditions at a vendor factory in China.
“NLC pressed us to take a hard look at our existing standards and how we implement them,” the CSR document revealed.
“The report charged employee mistreatment at a supplier factory in Dongguan, that assembles and packages hardware products for Microsoft and a range of other companies.”
Microsoft said the supplier had already signed its Vendor Code of Conduct and faced quarterly audits from Microsoft personnel and annual audits from an independent auditor.
However, Microsoft said it looked into the matter further.
“We took the NLC report extremely seriously, initiated a special on-site audit, and are now working with this supplier to ensure full compliance with the provisions of our Code of Conduct,” the CSR report said.
“This experience has also prompted us to look for ways to enhance our Code of Conduct and monitoring processes to ensure the fair treatment of all workers in our supply chain.”
