Publication of Electronics Watch Monitoring Reports

Electronics Watch publicises monitoring reports on specific factories only after a substantial period of engagement on the issues with key stakeholders, including employers and brand buyers.

The principles "need to know" and "right to know" guide how and when Electronics Watch shares findings and reports. This results in a priority order where workers and workers' organisations, employers, brand buyers, and public buyers (affiliates to Electronics Watch) come before the general public.

Electronics Watch releases monitoring reports to the general public because the public has a right to know whether or not public procurement contributes to better conditions for workers who make the goods that public institutions buy and use. As an independent monitoring organisation it is also important for Electronics Watch to operate transparently in order to provide outside observers a basis to evaluate our work.

In publicising monitoring reports, Electronics Watch strives to provide an accurate accounting to the public, describing problems as well as improvements that have been made, and noting the engagement and responsiveness of the companies involved.

Electronics Watch is well aware that labour rights violations are not necessarily extraordinary failures of specific companies, but often systemic industry issues. Thus, reports on single factories shed light on larger issues.  While those reports will always include recommendations to improve conditions for workers in specific factories, Electronics Watch also works to galvanise more systemic industry reforms.