Foxconn: working conditions audit raises "serious concerns" about Apple factory
An audit of working conditions at China’s Foxconn plant by the US Fair Labor Association, undertaken at Apple’s request, has raised “serious and pressing concerns” about the treatment of workers at the plant which churns out Apple products such as the iPad.
Working incredibly long hours (up to 70 a week, way over the 49 hour legal limit in China) and often working 11 days straight without a day off, the iPhone factory workers are suffering from poor health and safety practices, it has been revealed.
The FLA has now come to an agreement with Foxconn that sees the maximum number of working hours per week for employees drop to the legal limit of 49, with overtime being paid in more reasonable 15 minute increments rather than 30 minutes.
Apple “fully accepts” all recommendations laid out by the report, stating:
“We share the FLA’s goal of improving lives and raising the bar for manufacturing companies everywhere.”
Apple CEO Tim Cook added: “Our team has been working for years to educate workers, improve conditions, and make Apple’s supply chain a model for the industry, which is why we asked the FLA to conduct these audits.”
The Foxconn factory has long been under scrutiny, with many comparing working condition there as being similar to that of a sweat shop. Suicides are common at the live-in plant, with an explosion last year killing three workers.
Click here for the full FLA report.
Via: Guardian
