News, info, and opinion by Mac users, for Mac users.

June 14, 2006

news

Apple responds to iPod “sweatshop” claims

Posted Jun. 14, ’06, 7:39 AM PT by Dan Moren
Category | Apple » News

FoxconnThis week saw the release of a story in a UK paper, the Mail on Sunday, about the working conditions in the Foxconn plants that assemble Apple’s iPods. As Scott reported earlier, the article suggested that workers put in long hours for little pay, as well as enduring other restrictions placed on their living and working situations.

Apple has finally responded to the allegations in a statement:

Apple is committed to ensuring that working conditions in our supply chain are safe, workers are treated with respect and dignity, and manufacturing processes are environmentally responsible…[Apple is] currently investigating the allegations regarding working conditions in the iPod manufacturing plant in China.
There’s also been analysis over at Playlist, and an interesting piece by Leander Kahney at Wired News.

That Apple is looking into this is good; it’s an important issue. Then again, I think that labor conditions in foreign countries tend to be treated as an issue of convenience; pick it up when it benefits you, discard it when it doesn’t (like, when you want to buy an iPod). Make no mistake, there are in all likelihood dozens, if not hundreds, of companies doing the same thing in China and other places. Take a hard look at the number of products you own that bear “Made in China” or “Made in Taiwan” labels. What makes this such a big story is largely the popularity of the iPod itself. Will this make any difference in the way companies carry out their business? Maybe, but the bigger response, as always, will come from our wallets.


4 Comments

Rob Hill said:

To put "Made in Taiwan" alongside "Made in China" is not just an error—it's an insult.
Taiwan is a democracy with a good human rights record in stark contrast to China. Putting pressure on Apple to reform the working condition of its supply chain partners in China is appropriate. Encouraging them to relocate their manufacturing to democratic Asian countries even better. Slagging Taiwan is not.

June 14, 2006 9:46 AM
Dan Author Profile Page said:

No disrespect was intended. My point was merely that for many consumers, what's out of sight is out of mind as well, and given the number of products made in other countries, we often don't think about what that entails. And while China and Taiwan are certainly very distinct, one should not assume that certain countries are immune to the problems of labor conditions merely because they're democratic; one only needs to look at Department of Labor reports on the number of sweatshops in the United States itself.

It's also worth noting that while the factories in question were located in China, the supplier, Foxconn (aka Hon Hai Precision Industry) is a Taiwan-based company.

June 14, 2006 10:02 AM
zhonghuarising said:

What does "currently investigating the allegations" mean? What if Apple finds out that conditions in that plant are less than ideal? Are they really going to take any action? I have a feeling this is just more lip service...

June 14, 2006 1:43 PM
exnihilo said:

My guess is that "currently investigating the allegations" means that Apple will see if working conditions are at least somewhat better than conditions at other Chinese factories. Which SHOULD be good enough.

People who want Chinese workers to have the same conditions as US workers need to think about what that means. It means 40 hours a week, making about $6 an hour for minimum wage. That's about $1000 a month, which is 20x what they are making now. How will a TWENTY fold increase in labor costs be paid for? The only way is to increase the price. DRASTICALLY. As a consequence, there will be a drastic DECREASE in demand. No demand-> no sales-> no manufacturing -> no jobs.

Dispite the supposedly horrible low wages of Chinese workers, do you know what the biggest economic problem of China is? People SAVE TOO MUCH! Most Chinese people live cheap, and they put most of their extra money away.

June 14, 2006 5:39 PM

Leave a comment

 



Visit other IDG sites: