Fair Labor Association Says Apple Factories Are ''First Class''
Earlier this week, Apple announced that it had requested that the Fair Labor Association inspect its suppliers' factories in Asia. The move followed heightened criticism over how these manufacturing plants were treating the people that were assembling products from numerous big-name companies, including Apple. However, despite reports of worker mistreatment, it seems the staff at Foxconn enjoy above average working conditions. At least, that's what the Fair Labor Association says.
Though the agency will not be releasing full details of its inspections until sometime next month, the FLA has said that the conditions at the factories are better than those at garment factories or other facilities in China. Reuters cites FLA President Auret van Heerden as saying the conditions at Foxconn are "way, way above average." The head of the Fair Labor Association goes on to suggest that 'the problems' at Foxconn can probably be attributed to boredom and monotony rather than a high-pressure work environment.
"The facilities are first-class; the physical conditions are way, way above average of the norm," Heerden said. "I was very surprised when I walked onto the floor at Foxconn, how tranquil it is compared with a garment factory," he said. "So the problems are not the intensity and burnout and pressure-cooker environment you have in a garment factory. It's more a function of monotony, of boredom, of alienation perhaps."
Speaking of incidents of employees committing suicide, Heerden said that it's something Foxconn has been dealing with since the 90s. He says that the change from a rural lifestyle and leaving their families can be quite stressful for workers, and adds that the support employees need to help them deal with this drastic lifestyle change was not always in place because factories didn't initially realize it was needed.
Though the FLA speaks positively about the conditions at Foxconn, Reuters' report notes that FLA personnel used iPads during their inspections. In response to questions that the FLA may give Apple favorable reports, the non-profit organization said that the FLA system is "very tough" and involves unannounced visits, complete access, as well as public reporting. President Heerden dismissed the notion that Apple joined the FLA to counter the bad press regarding worker treatment. He said if Apple "wanted to take the easy way out," it could have chosen from a 'whole host of options' available.
The FLA will be releasing a full report on its inspections at Apple's suppliers and factories next month.
There's your problem.
totally unbiased.
totally unbiased.
Well, it all depends now on what the '"average" is based on, now isn't it :-)
It could be like saying we pay more than the average worker (in rural Kentucky) is making.
There's your problem.
They appear more like corporate PR personel.
Given that the result is a factory that does better than other factories in China, is the Foxconn facility Apple uses the only one that 'puts on a show for inspectors'? Are all factories crap and Foxconn is the only one that cares enough to try and fake it? I don't doubt that there could be factors influencing the results and how accurate they are, but let's at least look at the whole of evidence rather than trying to color it to fit a predetermined perspective.
As for suicide for being "bored", the article references monotony and a sense of alienation as well, and then goes on to explain it being rooted in a vastly different lifestyle then when they were raised. Given that teenage suicide in America is often due to feelings of insecurity, alienation, and listlessness, it doesn't seem all that unreasonable. It's still tragic; but people kill themselves for reasons that feel like very big reasons to them, even if they're not.
http://www.tomshardware.com/news/Apple-Foxconn-factory-iPad-CNN,14643.html
Of course their workers are treated like property, and it's a terrible thing. Just because they're "better than other factories in China" doesn't mean crap. Let me know when you've got some real improvement Apple.
So other facilities in China use slavers? Sorry, couldn't resist...
Fair Labor rep under apple reps desk: "Hows that?"
Apple rep: "Nice, but a little to the left."
because that is your best option... if i lived in china and foxxcon was the best job i would kill myself too...
i will never understand why people keep trying to apply a first world country pay and quality of living to an impoverished 3rd world country...
i mean a sweat shop is bad, but its really the best option for them... the only way for them to have any quality of life. as long as people chose to work there, i couldn't care less about their complaints.
I've worked at one company myself where I was treated like that. Over here, we have the option to seek other employment. We don't realize that others don't always have that privilege.
Workers get lifelong injuries after a few years working because workers are required to constantly do the same thing until they get an extremely bad form of carpal tunnel that effects the hands to such an extent that they are often unable to do even basic things with their hands.
The working conditions in the factory in china would lead to criminal charges if done in the US.
But there is also the case that the workers are not being forced to work, they can quit at anytime. (problem is that it is still better than many of the other work opportunities available to those people
In the interest of addressing the issues that brought on the investigation, how does the Fair Labor Association propose to reduce the number of attempted suicides in the factories and how did it come to those conclusions? Namely, who are these "support employees" and specifically how would they help suicidal people cope with these undefined "lifestyle change" that rural people apparently can't cope with?
My intuition tells me that instead of focusing their spending on "support employees" they should spend that money and then some on positive ways to impact their worker's living conditions (a tiny portion of this would include some counseling).
If the suicides in the factory were a plea for change in the factory worker's living conditions, would insisting on half-measures or inadequate improvements by a monitoring agency be a criminally negligent act?
In the interest of addressing the issues that brought on the investigation, how does the Fair Labor Association propose to reduce the number of attempted suicides in the factories and how did it come to those conclusions? Namely, who are these "support employees" and specifically how would they help suicidal people cope with these undefined "lifestyle change" that rural people apparently can't cope with?
My intuition tells me that instead of focusing their spending on "support employees" they should spend that money and then some on positive ways to impact their worker's living conditions (a tiny portion of this would include some counseling).
If the suicides in the factory were a plea for change in the factory worker's living conditions, would insisting on half-measures or inadequate improvements by a monitoring agency be a criminally negligent act?