Last night NYT published a 7 page report last night about Apple's failure to effectively pursue safer working conditions at its Chinese manufacturer of its iPhone and iPads.
Conditions were bad for workers inside the factories of companies like Foxconn and Wintek and looks like they were actually getting worse. Apples continued focus on high churn rates and high profits is having its toll on the poor line workers at Foxconn and Wintek.
Apple's attitude has always been, “We need 10 million units of this product built in 26 days. And it better not cost us more than $50 million dollars.” This forces the manufacturers to cut corners and force about 60+ work hours weeks floating all safety and health norms at the expense of Apple making a buck off of the West!
Apple did just recently join the FLA (Fair Labor Association), and it seems to be really committed to making things better. But some would argue that it’s just not happening fast enough. “We’re trying really hard to make things better,” said one former Apple executive. “But most people would still be really disturbed if they saw where their iPhone comes from.”
The NYT article is here.