Is there forced labor in the VW factory in Xinjiang, China? After corresponding allegations, the group presented a self-commissioned report. Accordingly, there is no evidence of human rights violations in the factory.
The VW plant in the Chinese province of Xinjiang is always in the headlines. But inspectors commissioned by the automobile company say they found no evidence of forced labor in the controversial factory in Urumqi.
“We were unable to find any evidence or evidence of forced labor among employees,” explained Markus Löning, whose company commissioned Volkswagen to carry out the review based on international standards. Löning emphasized that the audit was limited to the 197 employees at the plant, almost 50 of whom are Uyghurs. “The situation in China and Xinjiang and the challenges in collecting data for audits are well known,” he added.
Community effort from VW and SAIC
The German car company operates the plant in the Uighur region together with the Chinese partner company SAIC, which had to agree to the audit. The partners each hold a half stake in the joint venture, which now only puts vehicles built elsewhere into technical operation.
There have long been allegations from the region that the state is harassing the Uyghur minority with forced labor and in re-education camps. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights spoke of serious violations in the region last year.
Not only human rights organizations but also investors criticize the fact that the Wolfsburg-based company operates a location there. Representatives of the Uyghur minority called for an end to forced labor of Uyghurs at VW at the VW general meeting in May.
VW: Almost no overtime “above average” pay
For the investigation, interviews were conducted on site and documents were examined together with lawyers from China, it said. “The employees are well qualified, have been with the company for a long time of up to ten years, have a low workload and are paid above average,” explained the car manufacturer. There is almost no overtime. The plant is a distribution center without production and suppliers from the region.
VW managers have assured several times in the past that there are no human rights violations at the Urumqi site. “We will continue to take any evidence of human rights violations very seriously in the future,” explained VW Chief Legal Officer Manfred Döss.