The Taiwanese electronics manufacturer Foxconn has admitted that student interns worked overtime and night shifts at one of its factories in China in violation of company policy. Foxconn, which is known for its production of Apple, Sony, Microsoft, HP and Nokia products, admitted to having temporarily hired underage interns, some as young as 14, at the same factory in 2012. Foxconn and other contract manufacturers regularly employ students as temporary workers to give the students a chance to gain skills, however the programmes have been criticised by labour activists, who say that the students often make up for staff shortages and are not offered meaningful training. (BBC; Financial Times*)
UK construction firms to compensate unlawfully blacklisted workers
Eight UK construction firms, including Balfour Beatty, Carillion and Skanska UK, have announced that they will compensate workers who were unlawfully blacklisted and denied work for long periods after construction firms deemed them to be politically disruptive. The move follows years of campaigning by the workers, who said that they were often barred from working for raising legitimate concerns about health and safety on building sites. More than 40 firms in the UK construction industry funded a clandestine agency that kept files on more than 3,200 workers that they deemed to be politically disruptive. The blacklisting agency operated for 15 years until it was raided and closed down by a UK watchdog in 2009. (The Guardian)
Legal & General gets tough on all-male boards with warning to FTSE 100 firms
One of the UK’s largest fund managers, Legal & General, has warned that it will vote against the chairman of any FTSE 100 company that persists with an all-male board or if disclosure about gender balance is inadequate, after the UK Government’s deadline for board diversity in 2015. Figures published by the UK Government this week showed that women now hold almost 24 percent of non-executive seats and only five out of the top 100 companies are now men-only domains. However the progress of women in full-time executive roles has been slower, with women holding just 6.1 percent of executive positions. (The Guardian)
Tax
Oversupply from tobacco firms fuels illegal smuggling
According to a report published by the UK Public Accounts Committee (PAC), large tobacco companies are oversupplying in European markets, in a deliberate attempt to fuel tobacco smuggling into the UK and avoid paying tax duty. The study, Progress in tackling tobacco smuggling, says that smuggling tobacco across UK borders deprives the public purse of £1.9 billion, equating to 20 percent of all income from tobacco tax duty. Margaret Hodge, the Chair of the PAC, said that tobacco companies “turn a blind eye to the avoidance of UK tax by supplying more of their products to European countries than the legitimate market in those countries could possibly require” and that the HMRC must do more to challenge these companies. (Blue & Green Tomorrow)
Environment
Volkswagen drives customers to use green energy
The car manufacturer Volkswagen and the UK renewable energy producer Ecotricity have formed a partnership to encourage customers who buy an electric vehicle to switch their energy supply to a renewable supplier. Customers that buy an electric Volkswagen or Audi will be provided with a pack that contains information on how to switch to Ecotricity. Volkswagen, which aims to be the top car manufacturer for electric vehicles by 2018, said that "the electric car cannot be a compromise on wheels, it must convince customers in every respect." The founder of Ecotricity, Dale Vince, said that "ideally an electric car should be charged using 100 percent renewable energy, otherwise you are still powering it from fossil fuels. Running a car on green electricity from the wind and the sun is the last piece of the jigsaw; it's the ultimate in green motoring." (Edie)
Technology and Innovation
Forum launched to plant UK at forefront of smart cities revolution
The UK Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) has created a Smart Cities Forum, a new initiative to promote ‘smart cities’ across the UK, which according to a report written by Arup, are expected to have a value of £250 billion by 2020. The UK Universities and Science Minister, David Willetts, said that “with around 80 percent of the UK’s population living in cities, we need to ensure that they are fit for purpose in the digital age. Through our information economy strategy we will support cities to improve energy efficiency, reduce carbon emissions and save money.” Volker Buscher, a Smart Cities Forum member and Director of Arup, who wrote the report, Global Market Opportunities and UK Capabilities for future smart cities, said that “smart technologies can help address some of the challenges of rapid urbanisation by improving services and managing their efficiency.” (Blue & Green Tomorrow; Edie)
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