Digital Journal — It looks like working in a Chinese iPod sweatshop isn’t so bad after all, if you take at face value the conclusion coming from the accused company. Apple saved some major face by conducting an investigation into allegation a Chinese factory was essentially a sweatshop subjected to harsh conditions.
This week, Apple cleared the overseas contractors of gross labour violations, stating “We are dedicated to ensuring that working conditions are safe and employees are treated with respect and dignity wherever Apple products are made.”
Riiight. How do they explain the investigation’s major concern? A third of the time, workers were forced into overtime, obliged to work more than 60 hours with at least one day off. A quarter of the time, factory workers slaved away seven days a week. And two employees admitted they were disciplined by being made “to stand at attention.”
Apple is painting a rosy picture of the iPod factory in another odd statement. Supposedly, workers chiefly complained about the lack of overtime during quiet periods. Yeah, because that’s what all assembly-line drones want — more hours to do their painstakingly monotonous drudgery.
To distract people from the negative news, Apple promised to take action where appropriate. For instance, the workers’ living space will increase by 46 per cent in the next four months. And the transportation schedule will be tweaked to better serve those who live on off-site dorms.
Apple is sending a clear message that it doesn’t violate any serious Code of Conduct policies, but forcing workers into overtime hell isn’t very admirable. Punishment through excessive standing is humiliating and despicable, no matter how many times it was enforced.
Apple might have a sterling record in the U.S. but overseas, it’s looking more like the Nike of the 1990s.
