Europe has 'solid case' on China shoe dumping taxes

Apple cracks down on labor abuses at gadget factories
San Francisco (AFP) March 1, 2010 - Apple is pressing makers of its popular gadgets to avoid child labor, sloppy disposal of hazardous waste, and overworking employees in the wake of an audit by the company. Apple audited 102 of its suppliers last year, finding out that three had hired a total of less than a dozen 15-year-old workers in countries where one must be 16 years of age to legally hold a job. In 60 of the companies audited, employees had exceeded Apple's 60-hour cap on work-week hours by 50 percent or more. In a smattering of cases, records at firms were falsified to hide underage, underpaid, or overworked employees, according to audit results released by the California firm behind iPhones, iPods, and Macintosh computers.

One of the firms had a history of mistreating workers, including having seven-day work weeks. Apple severed its business with that facility. Apple also determined that three of its suppliers had used non-certified hazardous waste disposal firms. Apple said it had misbehaving suppliers take corrective actions in the forms of policies, training, or other changes. Apple requires its suppliers to abide by a "Code of Conduct" as a condition of its contracts. "We drive compliance with the Code through a rigorous monitoring program, including factory audits, corrective action plans and verification measures," Apple said in an audit summary available online Monday. "The companies we do business with must provide safe working conditions, treat workers with dignity and respect, and use environmentally responsible manufacturing processes wherever Apple products are made."

by Staff Writers
Hanoi (AFP) March 2, 2010
The European Commission has a "very solid case" in its imposition of antidumping measures against shoes from China and Vietnam, European Trade Commissioner Karel De Gucht said Tuesday.

Beijing has filed a complaint with the World Trade Organization accusing the European Union of imposing illegal duties on Chinese shoes.

"We think we have a very solid case with respect to the antidumping rights that we have imposed on China and Vietnam," De Gucht said after meeting in Hanoi with Vietnamese Trade Minister Vu Huy Hoang.

"China is going to contest it before the WTO, they are entitled to do so," he said.

"Up to now, we have no indication that Vietnam would also be doing this but that's upon the discretion of Vietnam. But we are pretty sure we have a very solid case."

At the end of 2009, the EU extended for 15 months antidumping duties imposed in October 2006 on shoes with leather uppers coming from Vietnam and China.

In response, Beijing at the start of February announced it was filing a complaint with the WTO. If the two sides do not reach an agreement in 60 days, the WTO complaints body will rule on the case.

The antidumping duties were "imposed as a result of an inquiry", De Gucht said, adding that Brussels also hoped they would be able to move on.

The commissioner said a free trade agreement with Vietnam, which he was visiting to discuss opening negotiations, would "greatly contribute to resolving once and for ever this pending matter".

Having failed to launch negotiations on a free trade agreement with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations as a whole, the European Commission is now seeking bilateral talks with the 10 members of the bloc.

The commission is the executive body that represents the European Union in international trade relations.

De Gucht heads to Singapore Wednesday to launch free trade negotiations with the city-state.

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