“Volkswagen is currently in talks with the non-controlled joint venture SAIC-Volkswagen about the future direction of business activities in Xinjiang province. Different scenarios are being considered intensively,” a spokesperson said when asked about the report.
Rights groups have documented abuses in Xinjiang, including the ethnic minority Uyghur population being subjected to forced labour in detention camps. Beijing denies any such abuses.
[Edit typo.]
TLDR: VW owns a stake in a test track that there is now evidence (from contracted civil engineering companies) was likely built in part using Uighur labourers being paid a pittance, likely by force. Effectively slave labourers.
Quelle surprise. If you build in Xinjiang, this is likely going to be the case.
I wish western companies would pull out of that awful country, but that would require companies having a moral compass.
Companies only have the moral compass of their customers. If using slave labour or sweatshops doesn’t scare away customers, then they’ll continue to use them. Either us the consumers will have to actually put our money where our mouth is, or (more likely) we’ll have to get governments to force companies to adhere to basic human rights in their supply chains and finished products to be allowed to sell merchandise in their country.
People still buy from EA, Blizzard, nestle, Nike, anything from the ccp etc etc. So we’re either misinformed or apathetic to these working conditions
Fair, but it also shouldn’t be on users to research the construction firms used for tracks automakers have a financial stake in.
We’ll get nowhere if the onus is on end users to be omniscient of all companies’ actions.
Oh absolutely agree. I think we should try and be ethical consumers (if there is such a thing.) But the only way to change things is to vote for people who will punish cuntish behaviour
What a fucking surprise. Not that vw had issues with forced labour in the past before, or is still producing parts in a Uigur labour camps. I really hope the EU law on transparent sourcing for companies is kicking in soon…
How can anyone in an executive roll be so blind and ignorant to the pain and suffering that they are responsible for. This makes me sad
