They are also Parents They Are Also Parents - A Study on Migrant Workers | Page 48

CCR CSR | A Study on Migrant Workers with Left-behind Children in China | August 2013
7. CSR and existing support for migrant worker
parents
CCR CSR | A Study on Migrant Workers with Left-behind Children in China | August 2013
• Company CSR blueprints discussed did not include specific support
strategies for the children of migrant workers, and no in-depth, systematic
consideration was given to their needs. When management representatives
were asked about the number of staff who were married or had children,
7.1 Multinational companies, suppliers and business management are
most could provide only limited or no data.
yet to embrace CSR and children’s rights
• Interviewees also stated that they had not given a lot of thought to the
CSR and children’s rights are still concepts that are at an early stage in China’s problems of migrant workers’ children, but felt that the challenges might
business environment, whether in the traditional garment industry or in the include lack of time for appropriate care, economic pressures related to
high-end electronic products manufacturing. schooling, family communication breakdowns, as well as child safety. They
said it was difficult to cite specific examples due to lack of data, but agreed
Businesses and management departments surveyed for this report said they
that such problems would “certainly affect” their business.
perceived CSR mainly in terms of providing reasonable salaries, welfare
benefits, and a safe working environment. However, some management Compared to HR managers, the quality control and production managers
representatives also mentioned the importance of local community and are in a better position to understand the problems faced by migrant
vulnerable groups, including the workers’ children. parents because their work brings them into frequent contact with the
workers. However, because the majority of businesses interviewed failed to
“There is no doubt that if workers’ working environment is improved, their include the needs of migrant workers with children in their CSR planning, it
children’s lives are also indirectly improved.” remained difficult for HR and quality control managers to have a complete
—Quality control manager understanding of the situation.
“It might seem that children have nothing to do with business, but this is When the CSR programs did include information about children in factory
actually not the case. Children will consume business products and take jobs audits, it was due to legal requirements and mandated industry-standards.
as employees, when they grow up.” Some companies engaged in public welfare projects, but did not in turn
—HR manager engage their supply-chain factories. Meanwhile, future plans for helping
employees with children were vague. The few examples cited included one-off
“I figure that all social responsibility involves people, so people should be at
activities aimed at the children of workers.
the core – their working hours, salaries, health care and safety, as well as
demands for improvements to their working and living environments.” Because the needs of migrant-worker children, and the challenges related
—Business representative to parenting, have so far no place in the company CSR programs there is a
significant lack of targeted, systematic, and long-term support strategies.
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At the same, when it came to actually responding to the needs of migrant Improved awareness of workers' family situation, and the related turnover and
parents, most CSR programs presented were insufficient. production efficiency could provide a good starting point for such strategies.
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