The 1 Reason Brad Pitt thanked Leonardo DiCaprio and Not His KidsMore Articles 19 December 2014 3/3.540 3/3.540 Source: Thinkstock Questions on the care of Apple’s staff in Asia are again being raised following a recent BBC report. BBC Panorama will display a video footage that has been released explaining what it has found. The BBC sent undercover reporters to facilities near Shanghai China which are owned by Pegatron, an Apple supplier. According to the BBC, the reporters found multiple breaches of the labor code including problems of forced overtime unpaid meetings for youth workers with poor living conditions and prolonged straight days of work without a day off. It should be remembered that Apple is an independent organisation, a member of the Fair Labor Association (FLA), which regulates businesses compliant with international labor standards. Under the FLA’s Code of Conduct Employers Workplace must allow employees at least 24 consecutive hours of rest in each seven-day cycle and all overtime work will be voluntary. We collaborate with suppliers to fix problems and see constant and significant improvement but we know that our work is never done, said Apple in responseSupplier Code of Conduct ends its partnership with any supplier it feels is not fully committed to stop the behaviour. Although the problems at Foxconn s facilities may be the best-known examples of problems with working environment found at an Apple supplier, Pegatron has also been blamed for issues previously. Non-profit group China Labor Watch confirmed in December 2013 that 16 Pegatron was legally in breach of the country’s labor laws, a 15-year-old boy who died of pneumonia due to his working minimum age. Health and well-being of staff are our top priorities which Pegatron told the BBC. We set very high expectations for rigorous training for managers and employees, and have external auditors visiting our facilities frequently to identify areas for improvement. The BBC inquiry also looked at working conditions at some of the illegal tin mines on Bangka’s Indonesian island that are believed to supply Apple’s suppliers with tin. Many of these illegal mining operations rely on highly dangerous child laborers. According to a report from the environmental organization Friends of the Earth, during 2011 an average of one mine worker died a week in Bangka. It should be remembered that, by releasing an annual list of its suppliers and allowing itself to be audited by organisations like the FLA, Apple has made it easier for regulators to investigate its overseas supply chain. On the other hand, the BBC’s recently uncovered numerous breaches of the labor code show that the iPhone manufacturer still has a long way to go in improving conditions for its foreign workers. @ArnoldEtan WSCS
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