Chinese Union

Given the changes in China, are you now turning more attention to labor standards elsewhere, like in Vietnam?
We've always looked at all countries equally. If you analyze our audit results, we find a worldwide average of 17 or 18 violations per factory. These are from unannounced independent audits, which give a good picture of what's going on in a factory. In South Asia there's an average of 37 violations per factory. The most problematic countries are India, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. China is actually slightly below the international average—about 15 or 16 [violations per factory].

How optimistic are you that those numbers will go down in China?
I am optimistic in the sense that I think that there's much more consciousness of this law than others. My concern, at a very practical level, is that factories need to procure management systems to allow them to operate in accordance with this law. There aren't a lot of places to get those systems. It will take some time for companies to adapt.

© 2008