Granted, they don’t have teams of Honduran children sewing floral-appliqued sweatshirts for 15 cents an hour, but Apple Computer may be in public relations trouble nonetheless.
A report appearing in British newspaper The Daily Mail alleges that the computer and software maker has been engaging in sweatshop practices with primarily female employees in Chinese factories where its mega-popular iPods are built.
From a story in The Washington Post:
“A Chinese factory that manufactures iPods employs 200,000 workers who live in dormitories where visitors are not permitted. Workers toil for 15-hour days for as little as $50 per month…”
Kind of makes your job seem cushy, doesn’t it?
Today Apple manufacturing partner FoxConn Electronics is denying the reports:
“The company also has been actively making improvements to workers’ living conditions, providing safe and well-equipped dormitories complete with free laundry service, sports facilities, libraries, and other facilities, the [FoxConn] spokesman said.”
Is it just us, or does anyone else not believe them?
Apple Computer has issued its own statement saying that they do not condone such practices and that they’ll investigate the claims.
Apple Insider has these photos of the FoxConn factory which ran in the original story and this piece in engadget has some good commentary.
