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The Clean Up Your Computer report relates how employees recruited by agencies to work in factories making components for Dell, HP and IBM suffer discrimination, forced overtime, low wages, constant threats of the sack, humiliating recruitment processes and short-term contracts, among others.

'People assume that long hours, low pay and poor work conditions are outside the realm of computers and shiny new technology,' the report's author, Katherine Astill, told us. But while the production methods for clothes and trainers have been hammered in the past, the computer makers had previously escaped such scrutiny, she said.

The report details how the drive to reduce costs in the face of economic downturn has led to increased outsourcing of production to countries in Asia, South America and Eastern Europe where labour costs are low. The production facilities often use third-party recruitment agencies to supply staff that are kept on short-term contracts and in ignorance of their labour rights. Thus these global IT brands are effectively shielded from the workers that make the components for their products. 'They are creating a situation where they can get away with this sort of thing,' said Astill.

Workers in such facilities told CAFOD of practices such as anyone discovered to be pregnant being fired, or workers found to be discussing or participating in union activites threatened with production being moved elsewhere and the factory being shut.

However, the companies looked at by the report responded positively to its recommendations in ensuring its existing labour policies were properly implemented by the sub-contractors as well as making improvements to address other issues

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raised, said Astill. 'HP started ahead of the other two. They've shown serious commitment,' said Astill. 'But Dell, in particular, has responded extremely well. We're quite encouraged.'

HP said in a statement: 'We have implemented a Supplier Code of Conduct that in 2003 has been rolled out to our top 50 suppliers, and we are working closely with those suppliers and all their facilities to ensure that their practices meet our code. We will continue to work with them over time to roll out the code of conduct to their subcontractors as well. This year we are expanding our code to other suppliers.'

IBM, the other company considered by the report, has promised to ring the changes. A CAFOD spokesperson told us: 'We completely welcome IBM's response. It's just a question of seeing that it's implemented properly.'

Astill told us that none of the companies said ensuring fair labour standards from their sub-contractors would increase the cost of computers. But the report also says none of the companies have expressed a commitment to pay sub-contractors a price that will help them raise standards, and this is further undermined by the hard-nosed business tactics of always trying to drive prices down.

Furthermore, none of the companies have committed to ensuring labour standards meet international requirements, but rather just those of local law. And in countries such as China, that may not mean that much.

Astill said CAFOD will continue to work with the companies and expects a progress report to be published sometime in late spring.

As for what action consumers can take, Astill said: 'We are not an organisation that encourages boycotts.' She suggested writing to the CEOs of computer makers urging them to ensure labour standards are upheld in the production of their products and when buying computer equipment asking the store whether the production of goods you are interested in meet labour standards.

'Computers have become part of the fabric of the lives of individuals and institutions across the developed world. Everyone shares a responsibility to the workers that make them,' reads the report.

The report is accessible on the CAFOD website.