An article in today’s Guardian newspaper highlights the suffering of miners in the Congo who extract the tin and tantalum used in our laptops and mobile phones. The author, Madeleine Bunting, highlights those technology companies which make the greatest effort to avoid using unethically sourced products, and those which don’t.
Campaigning groups across the world are beginning to target socially irresponsible companies and not just those which exploit third world labour. Tax dodgers and environmental polluters are also high on the campaigners’ list. It is relatively easy for campaigners and even consumers to make their displeasure shown, they can simply expose and boycott the offenders. But what if you work for a company which you know engages in dubious practices? Unemployment is high, dare you risk your job to challenge an employer that behaves unethically?
There have always been those employees who place principle ahead of everything else and refuse to carry on working for companies once their antisocial practices come to light. And there have always been those who place their job security first. But most people fall somewhere in between. They know the faults of the company they work for, they’d like to change things, but they want to do so whilst keeping their jobs secure. It’s a dilemma.
The solution is for employees to band together to oversee corporate ethical practices en masse. Some trade unions and employee forums have already begun to take on this role. Employee campaigning groups have not yet achieved the prominence or influence of consumer groups. But as the spotlight falls ever more on dubious practices by some companies, it is likely that their employees will become a more vociferous force. There could be some interesting times ahead.
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