Electronics Watch Releases Regional Risk Assessment on Hungary
Our Regional Risk Assessment on the ICT and battery value chains in Hungary has identified risks for workers in nine thematic areas of the Electronics Watch code. A collaboration between Electronics Watch, Periféria Policy and Research Center (Hungary), and University of Bristol (UK), the report explores each of these risks in detail, and provides recommendations on key actions to mitigate them.
One example is in the area of Occupational Health and Safety. The report highlights risks such as non-ergonomic workplaces in the ICT industry and exposure to toxic materials in the battery value chain. Both companies and government are failing to engage strategically on this, according to the report.
Another area is Living Wage. The boom of the Hungarian electronics industry in the last decade was based on the flexibilization of labour. Overtime regulations and the time-banking scheme —the latter being in conflict with ILO standards— enable excessive and flexible working hours. Living wages in the Hungarian electronics industry can only be earned with overtime supplements and bonuses.
The work for this report was funded by an ESRC Impact Acceleration grant: 'Protecting the Rights of Migrant Workers in Hungary through Public Procurement', coordinated by the School of Management, University of Bristol.