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Apple Starts Foxconn Audit

Tuesday, June 20th, 2006 at 7:50 AM - by

Apple Computer has started an audit of the Foxconn plant in China that manufactures iPod portable music players. Apple is investigating reports of sub-standard working conditions that were highlighted in a recent Mail on Sunday article.

According to Reuters, Apple spokesperson Steve Dowling stated the company will investigate "employee working and living conditions, interviews of employees and managers, compliance with overtime and wage regulations, and other areas as necessary to insure adherence to Apple's supplier code of conduct."

Foxconn offers manufacturing services to other companies, and has a contract with Apple to manufacture iPods. The company says the claims of poor working conditions and sub-standard pay are false.

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geoduck said:

member since 30 Dec 2003 with 1922 posts, unranked, send him a message or view his profile

Tue Jun 20, 2006 9:44 am

Good to see they are jumping right on this.

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A guest said: (hide)

Tue Jun 20, 2006 10:31 am

I'll tell you what they will find: No compensation pay for overtime. Apartments that are owned by Foxconn and charge workers 85% of their monthly pay and Management that is violating labor laws.

It is no secret people: China is one of the worst countries to work at a factory in. They are exploitive and the corporations are corrupt.

The workers really have no choice: it is either working there or going back to farming and starving.

No news here....move along.

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A guest said: (hide)

Wed Jun 21, 2006 5:57 pm

Its common for Taiwanese owned factories in Guangdong to tell their employees that if they don't work over Chinese New Year Holiday and National Holiday in October to not bother to come back to work. Because many of the factories are in Special Economic Zone they can play by their own rules. There are plenty of workers that are willing to cooperate with the ridiculous demands of the owners.

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LaurieF said:

member since 15 Jun 2001 with 3547 posts, TMO Forum Mod, send him a message or view his profile

Wed Jun 21, 2006 6:38 pm

<sarcasm>

It's fortunate for all of us not living in a communist totalitarian regime that we aren't potentially subject to such conditions.</sarcasm>

I've met people who were subject to the government-mandated sanctions against waterfront workers in the 1951 lockout: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1951_New_Zealand_waterfront_dispute - it wasn't pretty. Prime Minister Sid Holland is still reviled by many.

[Goes off thumbing through his copy of Grapes of Wrath]

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A guest said: (hide)

Thu Jun 22, 2006 12:55 am

I like the way Apple always seems to be singled out for bad p.r. like this. EVERY computer I have ever seen has had foxconn parts in it but, strangely, no one has said *anything* about Dell, HP, Gateway, etc.

Just like a while back when Apple was singled out for their waste disposal rules. Dell and HP/Compaq have probably *each* sold 3 to 5 times the number of machines Apple has, but there's no mention of them and their waste disposal policies, only APPLE was singled out.

Vile wretches! Every last one of 'em...

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