A US based non-profit advocacy group has accused Apple's Chinese suppliers of using child labor and working them long hours.
Three Chinese factories making Apple products run by Pegatron
Group violated standards set by Apple, AFP quotes China Labor
Watch.
The organisation said the 70,000 employees at the three Pegatron
plants averaged up to 69 hours per week, and that "many
workers" were under 18.
Overtime was mandatory during busy periods according to Labor
Watch. The report also describes dormitory rooms housing up to 12
people, insufficient fire escape routes and fines for behavior
such as "failing to tuck in one's chair after eating" and
"absence from unpaid meetings".
China Labor Watch says it sent undercover investigators to the
three Pegatron factories and conducted nearly 200 worker
interviews between March and July this year, AFP reports.
Pegatron's chief executive, Jason Cheng, is reported as saying
that the company took the allegations "very seriously".
"We will investigate them fully and take immediate action to
correct any violations to Chinese labour laws and our own code of
conduct”, he said.
Pegatron, a Taiwanese company, came under the spotlight and was
pressured to better oversee often-poor manufacturing conditions
in China after 13 workers for one of its suppliers committed
suicide in 2010.
Apple stated it had audited Pegatron facilities 15 times since
2007 and found last month that their workweek averaged 46 hours,
according to AFP.
Apple said its audit teams would return to the three factories this week for a series of special inspections.