Today (19th September) is the official launch day of the pre-reserved iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 plus which are remarkably configured with bigger size of touch screen. Although some customers may be impressed by the new product, SACOM discloses the unacceptable slavery working condition in Pegatron Corporation, which is one of the key Apple’s suppliers producing about 50% of iPhone 6.
Today (19th September) is the official launch day of the pre-reserved iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 plus which are remarkably configured with bigger size of touch screen. Although some customers may be impressed by the new product, SACOM discloses the unacceptable slavery working condition in Pegatron Corporation, which is one of the key Apple’s suppliers producing about 50% of iPhone 6.
According to our newly investigative report entitled “The Lives of Apple’s iSlave in its Pegatron Sweatshops in China”, the dark side of Apple’s success and its failure to closely monitor suppliers’ corporate behavior have been disclosed. SACOM researchers have found that there are a number of practices in the factory violating workers’ rights and labour laws, key problems including:
- No single day off for 2.5 months: Workers work up to 10 weeks without any rest day during peak season and they often work for 12-15 hours a day and sometimes up to 17-18 hours;
- No protective equipment: Workers in hazardous positions are not provided with adequate and effective protective measures. There are cases of worker fainting in the production lines;
- Illegal charges for health checks: Workers have to pay their own health checks during recruitment which should be paid by employer;
- Difficult resignation: If workers would like to resign, they have to wait for a long time in order to get the approval which push them to leave without official documentation and losing at least 15 days of wages; and
- High Proportion of Dispatch workers: who form the majority in the workforce which violates the regulation that dispatch workers should not exceed 10 percent of the total workforce. Pegatron avoids regular employment benefits such as social insurance and potential legal responsibility if there is any labour dispute by hiring large amount of dispatch workers.
We are deeply disappointed of the findings. Today, we are here again to stage a protest in front of Apple retail store in IFC mall to urge Apple and its supplier to:
1. provide at least one rest day every week for workers and limit the maximum overtime work to 36 hours a month;
2. provide adequate training, protection and health examination to workers on occupational health and safety;
3. pay for workers’ health checks fee and inform the results to workers;
4. stop the improper use of dispatch workers in production for avoiding the provision of regular employment benefits and;
5. enable workers to elect their representatives in accordance with the Trade Union Law.
Find the full report attached.
