The human rights report on the controversial VolkswagenAccording to media reports, the plant in the Chinese Uyghur province of Xinjiang has defects. The report does not adhere to an international standard, DER SPIEGEL, the “Financial Times” (FT) and “ZDF” reported on Thursday, citing the report by the Chinese law firm Liangma Law. This involves the SA8000 standard, an internationally recognized procedure that includes, among other things, confidential interviews with employees about their working conditions.
The Chinese law firm Liangma Law, which, according to SPIEGEL, co-supervised the audit, did not adhere to the guidelines during these interviews, the articles said. Judy Gearhart, a research professor for human rights who helped develop the standard, described the talks in SPIEGEL as “worthless, no real confirmation that everything is fine in this factory.” The discussions were broadcast via live stream. The interviewees met in a room in the factory before the interviews, so complete anonymity was no longer guaranteed, SPIEGEL continued.
VW spokesman: Complete testing according to the SA8000 standard was not necessary
A VW spokesman said: “Volkswagen always adheres to legal requirements in its communications. There was never any deception of investors or the public.” The car manufacturer explained to the “FT” that the SA8000 standard was used by the auditors as a “baseline” and that a complete test of all aspects provided for in the standard was not necessary been. The auditor Löning declined to comment to the “FT”, and the Chinese lawyers did not respond to a query from the newspaper.
The Wolfsburg-based car company operates the factory in the Uighur region together with its Chinese partner SAIC. 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 Chinese state is harassing the Uighur minority with forced labor and in re-education camps.
Former Federal Government Human Rights Commissioner jointly responsible for the audit
Not only human rights organizations but also investors criticize the fact that Volkswagen operates a location there. VW CEO Oliver Blume (56) announced in June 2023 after public pressure that to subject the work to an independent review and commissioned the auditor Löning Human Rights & Responsible Business to examine the human rights situation in the plant. Managing director Markus Löning worked with the Chinese law firm on the investigation; he was the federal government’s human rights commissioner until 2013.
Volkswagen explained when publishing the results of the examination in December 2023, Löning had decided to apply the international standard SA8000 based on the specifications of the audit scope. “Although there was a lack of SA8000 certification, which is not mandatory, alternative ethical guidelines and management reviews ensured that the standards were adhered to.” VW Chief Legal Officer Manfred Döss said at the time that SA8000 was used when carrying out the audit.