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Apple Investigating "iPod City" Claims

Wednesday, June 14th, 2006 at 8:05 AM - by

Apple responded on Wednesday to claims in a Mail on Sunday report that employees in Chinese iPod manufacturing facilities work in sub-standard conditions. The Mail on Sunday article states that employees working in the iPod manufacturing facilities run by Apple's Chinese manufacturing partners work 15-hour days for about US$50 a month.

In a statement Apple provided to Macworld UK, company representatives state that Apple has a code of conduct it expects its suppliers to follow, and that it does not tolerate any violations of that code.

The supplier code of conduct Apple uses is modeled on the Electronic Industry Code of Conduct, which is available as a PDF online.

In part, Apple's code of conduct states that suppliers are expected to uphold the human rights of workers, and sets specific guidelines regarding discrimination, harsh treatment, harassment, involuntary labor, child workers, working hours, employee pay, and freedom of association.

The company statement also says "Apple is committed to ensuring that working conditions in our supply chain are safe, workers are treated with respect and dignity, and manufacturing processes are environmentally responsible."

Apple is now conducting its own investigation.

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A guest said: (hide)

Wed Jun 14, 2006 9:09 am

Up hold human rights? Then all seriousness what are they doing in China

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A guest said: (hide)

Wed Jun 14, 2006 9:13 pm

Guest wrote:
Up hold human rights? Then all seriousness what are they doing in China

Ain't that the truth! Everyone seems to portray Apple as the underdog, but their bottom line is the same as everyone else's. The stockholders want financial gain, not environmental, or human rights, concerns.

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A guest said: (hide)

Thu Jun 15, 2006 12:52 am

i'd google "human rights, china" to validate your argument, but i get an error message, "none found". just wondering if you have the same problem with google working with china.

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