Labour Law Compliance and the Role of Labour: Inspection in Viet Nam’s Electronics Sector
The study mapped out the industry situation and sought to address how enterprises can generate more and better jobs through socially responsible labour practices in Viet Nam’s electronics sector, taking into account the evolving transnational production system as the country further integrates in the global economy.
The study further considered the work of the labour inspectorate towards improving workplace compliance, both with regard to general working conditions and occupational safety and health issues. Also, the specific interactions between electronics firms and the labour inspectorate were analysed. The main findings show key challenges in the areas of discrimination, working hours, low wages and allowances, occupational health and safety risks, weak trade unions (TUs) and industrial relations, weak monitoring of labour compliance by the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs (MOLISA) and industrial zone authorities, and the use of private standards on working conditions. This report is based on semi-structured interviews with managers and workers in 17 foreign-owned electronics factories and 7 domestic Vietnamese electronics enterprises. In addition brief information notes on Department of Labour Invalids and Social Affairs (DOLISA) inspections of 40 electronic firms from 2012 to 2015 across the country were taken into account.