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Apple has released its seventh annual supplier audit and it reveals that one of its suppliers—Guangdong Real Faith Pingzhou Electronics—was found to violate its underage labour policy 74 times. Unsurprisingly, Apple was clear about the consequences of such a problems, and has completely severed ties with the manufacturer.
Reading through the report, it appears that a local staffing firm, Shenzhen Quanshun Human Resources, was responsible for supplying the children to the manufacturer. In the process, the staffing firm helped families forge age verification documents. In total, 11 factories were found to have employed underage workers, with 106 cases currently being investigated.
Elsewhere, Apple is attempting to crack down on bonded labour: a process through which foreign workers are made to pay exorbitant recruitment fees in their home countries. Eight facilities were found to be exercising the practice, which saw employees paying up to a month’s worth of wages per year in the process. In total, payments of $6.4 million (around £4m) were made—something that Apple claims to be fighting against.
There are, of course, plenty of other issues that Apple is striving to improve: cutting extreme cases of overtime, stamping out abuse, and providing better working conditions amongst them. If you want to read more about those practices, you should go read Apple’s report.
Regardless of all the promises Apple seems to be making, it is at least reassuring that Cook and co. do seem to be taking the whole thing seriously: 2013 saw the company carry out 393 audits, for instance, a rise of 72 percent on 2012. Apple has a long way to go, of course, but it’s clearly sending out a message that it won’t turn a blind eye. [Apple via Verge]
Samsung Audit Finds No Underage Workers, But Some Serious Problems
Samsung Audit: No Child Labour, But So Many Other Problems
Calling on Photographers For Manual Labour
Most of the iPhone 5′s I see looked like they were painted by a child.
Seriously: I don’t think this is a problem that can ever be solved in China under it’s current laws. Wouldn’t be surprised if there’s child labour either intentional or unintentional going on in most major manufacturers suppliers factories.
and truth be told, non of us care, because if we did, we would be hypocrites for buying tech from china in the first place
Amen to that.
Sad but true.
You’re bang on the money there. We’re so used to getting our tech goods cheap(ish) and we are aware that when stuff is made in china it dramatically brings the prices down!
I would imagine you’d find similar figures in most western companies after an audit. 106 out of 1,500,000.
So the record claims 1 in 150,000 people lied to get a job.
Lied, or were coerced, or were forced, or were threatened or a indentured servants, or have pimps to pay. In a place like china, the circumstances themselves can force one into underage labour.
Families forging age documents/working overtime – I’m willing to bet most of them are doing it out of desperation, not because they want to. So as we come through shouting “but think about the children!”, families are losing a way to feed themselves. I’m not saying it’s right, just that I think its easy to get caught up with the ethics rather than think of the bigger picture.