Apple sends independent inspectors into Foxconn factories
Fair Labor Association
Apple has begun to send independent inspectors into its Chinese factories, a release today states.
Apple's pledge to have its assembly line factories inspected by the independent Fair Labor Association (FLA) was part of its more rigorous Supplier Code of Conduct issued in January this year. It followed revelations about conditions in the factories – particularly at the Foxconn plants in Chengdu and Wuhan – from Radio show This American Life and The New York Times. Descriptions of deaths from explosions, suicides, child labour and regular 12-14 hour days put serious pressure on Apple to reform conditions at its live-in, gadget-churning mega-factories.
The first officials from the Fair Labor Association (FLA) went into the Foxconn factory in Shenzhen on Monday - a factory which has in particular been the subject of media attention after 90 workers climbed onto the company's roof and threatened to commit mass suicide earlier this year following a pay dispute.
The FLA will continue to check out Apple's Assembly line suppliers – Foxconn and Pegatron – in Shenzhen and Chengdu over the next few months.
Factories that supply parts for Apple products don't seem to be in the remit of the inspection.
A criticism raised by both The New York Times and the This American Life documentary was that announced factory inspections were ineffective because factory managers would prepare in advance to hide certain aspects of the factory – eg taking younger workers off the factory floor.
So we assume that although Apple has announced that these inspections will take place over the next few months, the exact timing of the inspections will be a surprise. ®
COMMENTS
Bullshit is right
If you could step off the waaaaaaambulance for a few moments and stop the nonsense falling out of the hole in the front of your skull, you would know that Apple *do* have clauses in all their contracts forbidding things like worker abuse and child labour. They *do* carry out surprise inspections. They *have* withdrawn contracts to repeat offenders.
This stuff is all very simple for those of us who, you know, read.
"Not saying that any of the other companies using far-east suppliers are any better..."
"Not saying that my post has any fucking point whatsoever..."
There you go, fixed that for you. You're welcome.
When the list of tech companies allowing independent inspections from the Fair Labor Association has more than one name on it, then maybe you can come back and spout some more of your uninformed crap.
So we'll stop buying cheap fruit, clothes, shoes, coffee, chocolate too?
Heck EVERY industry uses this form of cheap labour.
When will HP, Dell etc do the same?
I'd expect that will be a long time coming.
Even this move by Apple won't be enough for the 'Death to Apple' Fanbois.
At least Apple are trying to enforce some standards. It is a shame that everyone else isn't doing the same. If they did, then working conditions might improve for good.
0-flame war in under 20 posts
While I do enjoy a little constructive banter regarding Apple, the likes of Shitpeas, etc really are starting to sound a bit petulant, sullen and bitter, aren't they?
Is it possible that being a high-profile company, and actively investigating worknig conditions, might be a good combination? It's the easiest thing in the world to shout "they wouldn't, wouldn't they", but what if they didn't? What if they fitted the other stereotype that Apple Inc is often accused off - haughty, silent, stand-offish - and didn't say a word, or do anything?
As for manufacturing in the west - it'll happen eventually, but only after we've had the most enormous crash in living standards and cost of livnig imaginable. The sort where people end up subsistence farming on their gardens.
