Report Reveals Sweatshop Conditions In Apple's China Factories
Vittorio Hernandez | | Dec 19, 2014 07:14 AM EST |
They might be fierce rivals in court, but business relations between Samsung and Apple looks as strong as ever, according to a new rumor.
Cupertino, Calif.-based tech giant Apple could be in trouble anew after BBC aired a report showing sweatshop conditions in Chinese factories that manufacture gadgets for Apple.
To do that, BBC used undercover reporters to secretly film the factories that produce the iPhone 6. Among the findings of the BBC expose are the employees work very long hours, the factories did not follow benchmarks on the issuance of ID cards, sleeping quarters, work meetings and underage workers.
Like Us on Facebook
Because of their long shifts that last as long as 12 hours, many very tired workers at the Pegatron factories located outside of Shanghai fell asleep, the secretly taken video shows.
But it wasn't just the footage of exhausted workers that provide strong evidence of alleged abuses. An undercover BBC reporter who worked in a factory that makes parts for Apple computers worked 18 straight days even if he asked for a day off. Another reporter said by the time he ended his 16-hour shift, he was dead tired upon his return to the workers' dormitory.
He said, quoted by BBC, "Even if I was hungry I wouldn't want to get up to eat. I just want to lie down and rest. I was unable to sleep at night because of the stress."
Apple, in a statement, said it strives to ensure that fair and safe working conditions are the norm at Chinese factories it has contracted to make Apple products or parts. The company added it continues to work with its suppliers to address the deficiencies.
It said that based on its own monitoring, the average work hours of more than one million employees at Pegatron was 55 hours a week, which would still translate into 11 hours for a 5-day work-week or more than 9 hours for a 6-day work-week.
Global attention was focused on working conditions of Chinese factories that make Apple products or parts in 2010 when 14 employees committed suicide at Foxconn, the largest supplier of Apple.
©2015 Chinatopix All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission
EDITOR'S PICKS
-
Did the Trump administration just announce plans for a trade war with ‘hostile’ China and Russia?
-
US Senate passes Taiwan travel bill slammed by China
-
As Yan Sihong’s family grieves, here are other Chinese students who went missing abroad. Some have never been found
-
Beijing blasts Western critics who ‘smear China’ with the term sharp power
-
China Envoy Seeks to Defuse Tensions With U.S. as a Trade War Brews
-
Singapore's Deputy PM Provides Bitcoin Vote of Confidence Amid China's Blanket Bans
-
China warns investors over risks in overseas virtual currency trading
-
Chinese government most trustworthy: survey
-
Kashima Antlers On Course For Back-To-Back Titles
MOST POPULAR
LATEST NEWS
Zhou Yongkang: China's Former Security Chief Sentenced to Life in Prison
China's former Chief of the Ministry of Public Security, Zhou Yongkang, has been given a life sentence after he was found guilty of abusing his office, bribery and deliberately ... Full Article
TRENDING STORY
-
China Pork Prices Expected to Stabilize As The Supplies Recover
-
Elephone P9000 Smartphone is now on Sale on Amazon India
-
There's a Big Chance Cliffhangers Won't Still Be Resolved When Grey's Anatomy Season 13 Returns
-
Supreme Court Ruled on Samsung vs Apple Dispute for Patent Infringement
-
Microsoft Surface Pro 5 Rumors and Release Date: What is the Latest?