Electronics group to focus on social responsibility

October 21, 2017 - 13:25

A coalition of electronics companies organized to promote socially responsible labour practices launched in Hà Nội yesterday.

A coalition of electronics companies organised to promote socially responsible labour practices launched in Hà Nội on Friday.— Photo nhandan.com.vn

HÀ NỘI — A coalition of electronics companies organised to promote socially responsible labour practices launched in Hà Nội on Friday.

The coalition is backed by the Việt Nam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI) and the International Labour Organisation (ILO).

“In the context of international integration, besides standards on quality and price, social responsibility of enterprises in general and electronic enterprises in particular is an important criterion for global integration,” said Vũ Tiến Lộc, VCCI’s chairman, at the ceremony.

The coalition will enable participants to experiences and strengthen training, said Lộc.

“The establishment of an electronic corporate network which focuses on social responsibility is a form that VCCI will pay special attention in the upcoming time,” he added.

In the past, VCCI has cooperated with the ILO and the Viet Nam Electronic Industries Association (VEIA) to help electronic enterprises apply socially responsible labour practices.

Việt Nam’s electronics industry has been growing rapidly in recent years. There were only 256 enterprises in 2005, while the number has increased to 1,021 enterprises in 2014.

The total number of employees in the industry has also increased seven times in eight years, from 46,000 employees in 2005 to more than 327,000 in 2013 and about 500,000 today.

The expansion of the multinational electronics firms’ cross-border production network has had a positive impact on the economies of developing countries such as Việt Nam, facilitating growth and the adoption of new technologies, but concerns related to labour and employment persist.

"The right implementation of the standards and legal regulations on social responsibility in general and labor relations in particular is a very important requirement,” Lộc said. “By investing in labourers and fulfilling social responsibilities in labour relations, businesses can recruit, train, and promote the creativity and responsibility of the workers themselves”.

Multinational companies are influential wherever they invest and operate. Therefore, their practices for managing human resources have a tremendous impact not only on their individual workplaces, but also through the global supply chain, said ILO Việt Nam Director Chang-Hee Lee. — VNS

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