Apple puts positive spin on worker conditions with Supplier Responsibility Report

Mon 16 Jan 2012 9:46am GMT / 4:46am EST / 1:46am PST
PeopleHardware

"Requires our suppliers to uphold the human rights of workers and treat them with dignity and respect."

Apple Inc

Apple has attempted to cast some positive light onto the ongoing concerns over the conditions of workers in its Asian supply chain by issuing a report focused on the improvements which the California company says it is making to lives and labour laws.

The report comes partly in response to recent scandals over working conditions in factories run by Foxconn, a massive China-based manufacturer which provides parts and assembly for many Western electronics companies, including Apple, Microsoft, Nintendo and Sony.

In June, 2010, Steve Jobs admitted to finding a rash of deaths and attempted suicides at a Foxconn plant 'troubling', promising to investigate and attempt to improve conditions. Prior to that, Sony, HP, Dell and Nintendo had all begun independent investigations into the deaths.

Highlighted in the report are Apple's attempts to offer free educational courses for employees and a drive to prevent under-age labour and extended working hours.

"We have a zero-tolerance policy for under-age labour, and we believe our system is the toughest in the electronics industry," reads a selected highlight from the report.

"In 2011, we broadened our age verification program and saw dramatic improvements in hiring practices by our suppliers. Cases of under-age labour were down significantly, and our audits found no under-age workers at our final assembly suppliers."

Overall, the report lists a 74 per cent compliance with working practice regulations, with the most compliant category being the prevention of under-age labour at 97 per cent, and the lowest being working hours, where a compliance rating of just 38 per cent was achieved.

95 Facilities were discovered to be requiring staff to work more than the maximum 60 hour a week limit. The report also covers health and safety, environmental impact and ethical trading.

Last week, several workers at a Foxconn plant said to be manufacturing Xbox 360s climbed on the plant's roof and threatened mass suicide after a pay deal was reneged upon by the company.

13 Comments

Antony Johnston
Writer

Not really fair to say the report comes in response to the recent Foxconn scandals -- it's an annual report, the first one was a year ago.

Posted:A year ago

#1

Dan Pearson
European Deputy Editor

GamesIndustry International

The report has been running for some years, yes, but this particular investigation was broadened and made more exacting at least partly as a result of the bad publicity which Apple received after the Foxconn plant suicides last year.

Posted:A year ago

#2

Bruce Everiss

There is a big employee conditions story running in the UK just now. But the trade journals don't seem to have it yet.

Posted:A year ago

#3

Antony Johnston
Writer

@Dan: Yes, but the wording implies it's the main/sole reason for the report, not a broadening of the existing parameters. A small thing, I know, but there's been so much misreporting on this issue that it grinds a little.

Posted:A year ago

#4

Mihai Cozma
Software Engineer

Modern slavery in action - 60 hours a week with payment hopefully enough to get some food and clothes, but not always.

Posted:A year ago

#5

Peter Stirling
Software Engineer

Firelight Technologies

The world has come so far, now the people in power know to keep the slavery out of sight and out of mind. In a months time there will still be horrible working conditions for these people but the story doesn't have legs.

"Oh how horrible, my heart goes out to them. Sent from my iPhone."

Posted:A year ago

#6

Claas Grimm
MD

GIA

I have some positive news. Our first browser game, completely produced in Hong Kong, China just went into closed beta without violating any human rights or labor law.

Posted:A year ago

#7

Mihai Cozma
Software Engineer

@Class Grimm - Good to know, however Hong Kong, even as a part of China, is quite different from the regions in which the abuses were acknowledged.

Posted:A year ago

#8

Jon-Erich Smith
student

Stardock Corporation

Alright, I know that Apple, Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft are all doing their own investigations and everything, but what about the Chinese government? Shouldn't they be investigating these abuse allegations as well? I know they probably won't because that's how things seem to work in China, but it just seems wrong.

Posted:A year ago

#9

Andrew Goodchild

Surely to combat underage employment, its not enough to not give the kids jobs, you have to pay the parents enough so they don't need to send their kids to find another job? As long as they are in a situation where the children need to work for the family to servive, just not employing them isn't much of a step beyond PR.

Posted:A year ago

#10

Tony Johns

I think that it is more of a problem with Chinese society where they are told by their government that their kids need to finish school at a young age so they can work for their families at a young age.

Workplace bullying and suicides happen to allot of people across different ages, not just those who are young.

It is really hard to tell the kids that they are too young to work when in their culture for many years the kids had to find work to pay for the food for their poor families.

Even in western culture during the mining days, how many kids were told to finish school early so they could pay for the food and living for their poor families?

My father had to start work when he was 14 and he got into plumbing trade. And that was back in the 1960s.

and what is under-age labour classed as?

There are some people who are still in high school who are encouraged to go out for some work experience to help them develop skills for the workplace?

Posted:A year ago

#11

Tony Johns

Still, it is not good to see so many employees threatening suicide for their long working hours.

It is really disturbing that such a company is doing that and all 4 hardware manufactures are linked with that company.
:(

Posted:A year ago

#12

Jeremy Glazman
Programmer

Odd headline for this story, the use of the word 'positive' seems misleading. Maybe written by an Apple product user trying to make themself feel better about this whole situation? This is barely PR spin from Apple, they basically are saying "it's no so bad, stop worrying about it, we're actually the good guys here".

I love my Apple products but I can't use one anymore without thinking of the people Apple and others exploited literally to death to bring it to me. This report doesn't do much to instill any confidence that they're interested much in addressing the situation.

Posted:A year ago

#13

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