Audit Faults Apple Supplier’s Factories in China

Los Angeles Times: At Apple’s request, the Fair Labor Association (FLA) has completed an audit of one of the company’s Chinese suppliers, but the results were not what Apple hoped to see. The FLA report cited “significant issues,” including excessive overtime, problems with overtime pay and health and safety violations at factories operated by Foxconn. For example, 43 percent of 35,500 employees surveyed said they had witnessed an accident on the job. In addition, the factory workers averaged more than 60 hours of work per week, a violation of Chinese law. Also, 64 percent of workers said they did not earn enough to meet their basic needs.

In response, Foxconn said it would implement by July 2013 the changes suggested by the report. Apple said, “We fully support [the FLA’s] recommendations. We think empowering workers and helping them understand their rights is essential. Our team has been working for years to educate workers, improve conditions and make Apple’s supply chain a model for the industry.”