For some workers overseas, it may cost them their life.
After a Foxconn factory explosion last May, killing 3 employees and injuring 15, questions arose about the legitimacy of Apple’s manufacturing partner’s working conditions—despite the defense of them being legitimate.
When Apple announced their record-breaking Q1 profits, which ended up totaling to about $13 billion (nearly $17 million for each Apple store), we looked at these numbers in awe; we never really thought too much in depth about the external factors of Apple’s device: where it came from, who made it—also factoring in the repercussions of disposing these devices, as there is no easily-accessible option for recycling Apple devices.
In fact, the working conditions for Apple’s most notable device are anything but safe. According to company reports and various advocacy groups around China, “[s]ome say they stand so long that their legs swell until they can hardly walk. Under-age workers have helped build Apple’s products, and the company’s suppliers have improperly disposed of hazardous waste and falsified records [.]”
Even after Apple was alerted about these red flags, Apple and Foxconn failed to fulfill the promises of improving working conditions. The Students and Scholars Against Corporate Misbehavior group in Hong Kong write in their case study, “Foxconn has primary responsibility in labor right abuses. The clients, including Apple and HP, which declare decent working conditions at their suppliers have indispensible obligations to put their promise to practice. [...] Apple, the sole buyer of [the] Chengdu plant,must take actions to improve working conditions at Foxconn.”
Li Mingqi, former Foxconn Technology manager (one of Apple’s most important part manufacturing partners), said, “Apple never cared about anything other than increasing product quality and decreasing product cost [.] [...] Workers’ welfare has nothing to do with their interests.”
While we love Apple products and think the company does a lot of good, we can’t help but resent them for not making it a top priority to maintain such a prominent factor in their production—especially while sitting on that giant wad of cash.
(via the New York Times; photo via Inquirer Technology)
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