FLA just released a status report of the improvement at three factories of Foxconn. This report is detailed and comprehensive, with full access and resources in the investigation. However, China Labor Watch holds three concerns in response to the report:
1. In that report, FLA successfully shifted the responsibility for Apple by blaming Foxconn for the previous unsatisfying working conditions in those factories. In fact, Apple has the responsibility and resource to improve the labor conditions of workers.
2. The harsh working conditions are by no means isolated to just Foxconn but exist throughout Apple’s supply chain. However, that report only focused on Foxconn factories. It is Apple’s entire supply chain system that should be responsible for the squeezing of workers.
3. Although the working hours at Foxconn have been reduced to less than 60 hours per week, the intensity of the hourly work has been increased. According to our follow-up investigation, the workers have to complete the workload of 66 hours before within 60 hours now per week. As a result, the workers get lower wages but have to work much harder and they are not satisfied with the current situation.
It is our hope that Apple can take practical action and raise the standards of conditions at its supplier factories.
Our report on ten of Apple’s supplier factories.