The Electronic Sector Workforce

The Indian electronics industry employs around 4.5 million people, and this figure is expected to rise steeply to 16.1 million by 2014.

India alone is expected to produce nearly 95million mobile phones by 2011 – at an annual value of US$15billion or 7,500,000,000 Indian Rupees worth.

Working Conditions Concerns

Workers are disappointed at the working conditions in the Mobile Phone Sector due to:

• Working with toxic material – companies do not observe implementation of occupational health and safety measures
• Denial of the right to unionisation and collective bargaining
• No annual increments in wages or share in profits in the form of annual bonuses
• Insufficient wages that barely cover living costs and do not allow workers to save for the future or support family
• Job insecurity due to the use of contract labourers who may be easily terminated
• No training in new skills or prospects of promotion