Supplier to Apple denies violations charges
Print Edition
AN Apple supplier in eastern China has denied allegations by a New York rights group that its workers toil for 10-hour shifts in loud, polluted conditions, without proper overtime pay or adequate safety protections to make MacBook and iPhone parts, before returning to filthy dormitories with cold showers.
The charges highlight the difficulty of managing complex global supply chains — even for firms, like Apple, that have embraced ethical sourcing as a business priority.
Apple Catcher Technology Co, which runs the factory in Suqian, said yesterday that it had investigated and “verified that none of the claims are accurate.”
It also said it was about to acquire land near the factory to build new dormitories because it was “driven to enhance the living standard for our employees.”
China Labor Watch said its findings resulted from an undercover investigation that ran from last October to this month.
It said workers without proper gloves had irritated, peeling skin on their hands. Others had machine oil splashed in their eyes. The main door of the workshop opened only 30 centimeters and dormitories lacked emergency exits — clear fire hazards, it said.
The group investigated the same factory in 2014 and flagged similar “violations.”
Apple said it maintains a monitoring team onsite at the Catcher factory, which has made “significant progress” in raising standards since 2012.
In response to China Labor Watch’s allegations, Apple said it sent an investigative team to Suqian to interview over 150 workers but “found no evidence that Catcher was violating our standards.”
“We investigate each and every allegation that’s made,” an Apple spokesperson said yesterday. “We remain dedicated to doing all we can to protect the workers in our supply chain and make a positive impact on the environment.”
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