Apple responds to allegations of labor abuses in the manufacture of the iPhone 5C

On Thursday, China Labor Watch published a scathing report criticizing working conditions in the manufacture of the iPhone 5C and accusing Apple about the same in the factory of Jabil circuit, in Wuxi, China. Apple responded to this report and defended the factory's track record, ensuring that it met all Apple standards.

Apple told Business Insider what for him "Year to date, Jabil Wuxi has performed above our 92% average for meeting Apple's 60-hour-per-week work limit." The company notes that it has a team of inspectors at the factory premises, but admits a recent report revealed that some employees had worked more than six consecutive days without a day off. The company is working with the factory to end the abusive practice.

Jabil, a Florida-based company, also responded by saying that it is concerned about this report and has dispatched a team to Wuxi, China, to investigate these allegations. Here you can see Apple's full report, as well as Jabil's statement.

Statement from Apple on working conditions at the Jabil Circuit factory in Wuxi, China:

»Apple is committed to providing safe and fair working conditions throughout the supply chain. We are leaders in the industry, with great scope and impact, we are also committed to providing transparent information and educational programs that enrich the lives of the workers who make our products. Apple is the first and only technology company admitted to the Fair Labor Association, and we are determined to protect every worker in our supply chain.

As part of our comprehensive Supplier Responsibility program, Apple has conducted 14 comprehensive investigations at Jabil facilities since 2008, including three at Jabil Wuxi, in the past 36 months. We take any questions about our suppliers very seriously, and our team of experts is on site at Jabil Wuxi to study the new demands on the conditions there. Jabil has its own program to improve it and they have a excellent track record compliance with Apple's high standards.

Jabil employees join the 92 million workers in Apple's supply chains whose working hours we track each week for reporting on our website. To date, Jabil Wuxi has performed above our XNUMX% average for compliance with the apple limit de 60 hours per week. In an inspection conducted earlier this year, we found that some employees had worked more than six consecutive days without a day off, and Jabil has been working with our team to better manage overtime.

We are proud of the work we do with our suppliers to improve conditions for workers. Our program goes far beyond supervision, guaranteeing corrective measures where necessary and efficiently applying our code of conduct for suppliers where Apple products are manufactured. We believe in transparency and accountability, both for our suppliers and for ourselves.

Statement from Jabil on conditions at its Circuit factory in Wuxi, China:

»Jabil is committed to ensuring that each employee is provided with an environment of safe work, where they are treated with justice, dignity and respect. We take any allegation that we are not meeting that commitment very seriously and are taking immediate steps to ensure that recent allegations are thoroughly investigated and, if true, corrected.

 Jabil conducts more than one hundred annual investigations of its operations, evaluating them on a wide range of products, including health and safety, treatment employed, and overtime. Some of the issues mentioned in the report were corrected inmediatamente. Our continuous research approach keeps us improving constantly.

We are concerned about the recent allegations related to excessive overtime, unpaid overtime, and working conditions at our Wuxi factory. An investigation team is on its way to Wuxi to fully investigate these claims. While we are aware of the desire of many employees to work overtime, our goal is to regular overtime to achieve a high level of compliance with the Electronics Industry Citizenship Coalition (EICC) standards. 

El well-being of our employees is our priority. In the past three years, Jabil has elevated Social and Environmental Responsibility to an executive level position reporting directly to Jabil's Chief Operating Officer. We have also developed global standards, a pregnancy test ban, global policy, and a policy that sets 18 as the minimum age for employment. We have also hired a leadership consultant to train Environment, Health and Safety employees to improve, assess, recognize and control process hazards.

We hurt by the complaints that we do not live up to our own standards, yet we are proud of the progress we have made to ensure that every Jabil employee is treated with dignity and respect, and provided the opportunity for personal and professional growth. . »

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