WIN: More problems surface for Apple’s China subcontractors

3/12/2012

National Public Radio recently spoke with 25 workers at a Pegatron factory who were injured in a December blast.

The December explosion at the plant happened only a few hours after inspectors from Apple left the premises.

Three months later a number of the 59 injured workers are still hospitalized. That blast came seven months after a similar explosion at another Apple supplier, Foxconn.

The Pegatron employees said they were never told about the Foxconn blast nor where they ever told that the aluminum dust was combustible.

They said that while there were some air filters in the factory the air was constantly filled with dust particles. In advance of the Apple inspectors coming through the workers were told to clean up the workspace.

Prior to NPR contacting the workers they had said they’d never received a call or visit from the U.S. electronics giant to ask about the blast.

Foxconn has consistently been criticized for working conditions and over the entirety of 2010 the company had to deal with more than a dozen suicide attempts.

graphic source: http://pacificrimshots.com
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WIN: Foxconn Accused Of Altering Work Scheduling In Advance Of Apples’ Audit

2/22/2012

One of Apple’s most notorious Chinese subcontractors continues to create negative headlines for the company. Jesse Russell reports:

Foxconn, a Chinese company that manufactures products for Apple, Microsoft and other US tech giants, is under fire once again by an international labor watchdog.

The Students & Scholars against Corporate Misbehavior is alleging that the company changed scheduling habits for teenage workers in advance of Apple’s audit of the subcontractor. According to research by the watchdog those employees were sent to other departments during the audit and weren’t scheduled any overtime.

One of the employees interviewed by the group said that during the audit, management offered three break opportunities while in a typical non-audited shift she would only receive one.

Apple launched the audit following investigations that revealed Foxconn had violated the company’s code of conduct. Over the course of 2010, 18 employees at Foxconn committed suicide due to the dismal working conditions.

The NightLine video was remarkable if you have not seen it. It showed the suicide nets that Foxconn placed outside of plant windows. Foxconn also established counseling centers to help distraught employees.


Workers live in dormitories but their is no familial units in the dorms.

Rightardia thinks the Chinese government needs to set up some basic labor standards for workers.

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Foxconn CEO refers to his workers as animals

FOXCONN worker rally after a string of IPhone suicides

FOXCONN chief Terry Gou compared his workers to animals, according to a report. The FOXCONN headquarters is in Tapei.

Taiwanese media reported Gou said:

I have a headache how to manage "one million animals” at the company’s year-end party in Taipei Zoo earlier this month.

FOXCONN makes most of the circuit boards for the electronics industry. Here is a list of their customers from Wikipedia: 

• Acer Inc. (Taiwan)
• Amazon.com (United States)

• Apple Inc. (United States)
• ASRock (Taiwan)
• Asus (Taiwan)
• Barnes & Noble (United States)
• Cisco (United States)
• Dell (United States)
• EVGA Corporation (United States)
• Hewlett-Packard (United States)
• Intel (United States)
• IBM (United States)
• Lenovo (China)
• Logitech (Switzerland)
• Microsoft (United States)
• MSI (Taiwan)
• Motorola (United States)
• Netgear (United States)
• Nintendo (Japan)
• Nokia (Finland)^[26]
• Panasonic (Japan)
• Philips (Netherlands)
• Sharp (Japan)
• Sony Ericsson (Japan/Sweden)
• Toshiba (Japan)
• Vizio (United States)

sources: Cryptlogon and  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foxconn

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John Stewart on Foxconn: The Fear Factory

The Daily Show
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Foxconn has taken the company town to a new level. the video is funny, but the Foxconn way of doing business is tragic for Asians.

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Working Conditions In Apple Asian Subcontractor Plants

1/16/2012

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Some details have emerged about working conditions at an Apple subcontractor in Asia. Jesse Russell reports.

Apple has released a comprehensive report on the working conditions at subcontractor plants in Asia. The software and electronics giant left out names of the subcontractors responsible for violations of its conduct code, but wasn’t short on details of abuses taking place. Fortune Magazine published a number of the findings in the report:

• 42 facilities had payment practice violations, including delayed payment for employees' wages and no pay slips provided to employees.

• 68 facilities did not provide employees adequate benefits as required by laws and regulations, such as social insurance and free physical examinations. 49 facilities did not provide employees with paid leaves or vacations.

• 67 facilities used deductions from wages as a disciplinary measure.

• 108 facilities did not pay proper overtime wages as required by laws and regulations. For example, they did not provide sufficient overtime pay for holidays.

In 5 facilities it discovered a total of 6 active and 13 historical cases of underage labor.

Apple utilizes 156 subcontractors for the manufacturing of its products. Nearly 70 percent had at least one violation. After these findings were compiled Apple only ended a contract with one of the subcontractors who they describe as a “repeat offender.Some details have emerged about working conditions at an Apple subcontractor in Asia. Jesse Russell reports.

Some details have emerged about working conditions at an Apple subcontractor in Asia. Jesse Russell reports.

Apple has released a comprehensive report on the working conditions at subcontractor plants in 

Asia. The software and electronics giant left out names of the subcontractors responsible for violations of its conduct code, but wasn’t short on details of abuses taking place. 

Fortune Magazine published a number of the findings in the report:

• 42 facilities had payment practice violations, including delayed payment for employees' wages and no pay slips provided to employees.

• 68 facilities did not provide employees adequate benefits as required by laws and regulations, such as social insurance and free physical examinations. 49 facilities did not provide employees with paid leaves or vacations.

• 67 facilities used deductions from wages as a disciplinary measure.

• 108 facilities did not pay proper overtime wages as required by laws and regulations. For example, they did not provide sufficient overtime pay for holidays.

In 5 facilities it discovered a total of 6 active and 13 historical cases of underage labor.

Apple utilizes 156 subcontractors for the manufacturing of its products. Nearly 70 percent had at least one violation. After these findings were compiled Apple only ended a contract with one of the subcontractors who they describe as a “repeat offender.”

Some Americans have lost sight of why labor union were formed and are still needed. These violations make the case for labor unions clear. 

Most of Apple's hardware such as circuit boards are subcontracted to Foxconn in Taipei. 

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Cryptlogon: Apple products are made by Foxconn

According to Wikipedia, The Foxconn Technology Group is a multinational business group anchored by the Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd., a Taiwan-registered corporation headquartered in Tucheng, New Taipei, Taiwan. 

Foxconn is the world's-largest maker of electronic components including printed circuit boards.

Notable products the company manufactures include the Amazon Kindle, iPad, iPhone, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Wii.

It is the largest exporter in Greater China and the second-largest exporter in the Czech Republic.

The company has been involved in several controversies . Most relate to how it manages employees in China, where it is the largest private employer. International attention has repeatedly been drawn to the suicides of workers and the conditions of employment. 

Apple actually installed nets outside of the windows of one of it factories to reduce the suicide of workers who were jumping out of windows.

Here are the large companies that have outsourced manufacturing to Foxconn [source: Wikipedia]:

(country of headquarters in parentheses)

Acer Inc. (Taiwan)
Amazon.com (United States)
Apple Inc. (United States)
ASRock (Taiwan)
Asus (Taiwan)
Barnes & Noble (United States)
Cisco (United States)
Dell (United States)
EVGA Corporation (United States)
Hewlett-Packard (United States)[26]
Intel (United States)
IBM (United States)
Lenovo (China)
Logitech (Switzerland)
Microsoft (United States)
MSI (Taiwan)
Motorola (United States)
Netgear (United States)
Nintendo (Japan)
Nokia (Finland)
Panasonic (Japan)
Philips (Netherlands)
Samsung (South Korea)
Sharp (Japan)
Sony Ericsson (Japan/Sweden)
Toshiba (Japan)
Vizio (United States)

So, while the Apple zombies make so much noise about how different Apple’s stuff is from the competition, it’s all made in the same Foxconn dungeons.

The new IPhone with the Siri OS is reticent about where it is manufactured.

Ira Glass: OK, I am holding a new iPhone 4S in my hand. This is the one that you can talk to, and it talks back. It’s a program called Siri. So let’s try this. I’m just going to hold it up to the microphone here and push a button.

Ira Glass: Siri, where do you come from?

Siri Software: I, Siri, was designed by Apple in California.

Ira Glass: Where were you manufactured?

Siri Software: I’m not allowed to say.

Ira Glass: Why?

Siri Software: Good question. Anything else I can do for you?

Rightardia agrees about the "Apple zombies." 

Microsofties had always looked at apple enthusiasts as Luddites who purchased overpriced Apple hardware and software because they users weren't computer literate. 

Today a person can buy a nice laptop with Windows 7 on it for about $400. An equivalent Apple laptop would cost at least $1200. 

The Apple OS is very similar to Linux which is free OS. Rightardia has viewed Apple products as overpriced since the inception of the company. 

Apple actually invented the first home computer but it was so overpriced, IBM captured the personal computer market with inferior software and more affordable hardware. 

Sources: 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foxconn

http://cryptogon.com/?p=27002

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