Apple has placed one of iPhone supplier Foxconn’s factories in southern India on probation following worker protests and alleged labor violations.
Bloomberg reports that Apple has put Foxconn Technology Group’s iPhone factory in southern India on probation due to alleged labor violations. The move comes following a number of employee protests about poor living conditions.
(Associated Press)
Apple’s Tim Cook (AFP)
Foxconn assembles iPhones and other electronic devices for companies such as Apple. The Taiwanese company apologized for the poor health standards at its Indian factory and promised to upgrade its management and operations in the country.
The Foxconn factory is located in Sriperumbudur on the outskirts of Chennai and was shut down following protests, but will resume operations once “necessary improvements” are completed. An Apple spokesperson commented on the situation stating:
Following recent concerns about food safety and accommodation conditions at Foxconn Sriperumbudur, we dispatched independent auditors. We found that some of the remote dormitory accommodations and dining rooms being used for employees do not meet our requirements and we are working with the supplier to ensure a comprehensive set of corrective actions are rapidly implemented.
Foxconn is reportedly restructuring its management team and systems and will continue to pay employees during factory downtime. The Tamil Nadu government has stated that Foxconn has agreed to improve and expand employee living areas, upgrade bathroom facilities, and provide drinking water for all employees.
Foxconn said in a statement: “We are very sorry for the issue our employees experienced and are taking immediate steps to enhance the facilities and services we provide.”
This isn’t the first time that Apple has faced issues with its suppliers, in December of 2020 Breitbart News reported that Apple’s Chinese supplier was being accused of using forced labor from Uyghur Muslims to build products. Breitbart News reported:
An investigation made public Tuesday by a human rights group called the Tech Transparency Project accused Lens Technology, a major Apple supplier in China that also does business with Amazon and Tesla, of using forced labor from Uyghur Muslims the Chinese government herded into concentration camps.
The Tech Transparency Project (TTP) is a non-profit watchdog group that has challenged claims by Western tech companies like Apple that their supply chains are completely free of forced labor. On Tuesday, TTP showed documents to the Washington Post that demonstrated thousands of Uyghurs were sent to work for Lens Technology, one of the oldest suppliers for Apple, Inc.
Apple consistently claims it has “zero tolerance for forced labor” and conducts vigorous reviews to ensure no Uyghur labor is used in its products, and repeated that denial in response to the Washington Post report, but TTP said its documents prove there are indeed thousands of Uyghurs working at Lens Technology plants.
“Our research shows that Apple’s use of forced labor in its supply chain goes far beyond what the company has acknowledged,” TTP director Katie Paul told the Washington Post.
“Apple claims to take extraordinary measures to monitor its supply chain for such problems, but the evidence we found was openly available on the Internet,” she added.
Read more at Bloomberg here.
Lucas Nolan is a reporter for Breitbart News covering issues of free speech and online censorship. Follow him on Twitter @LucasNolan or contact via secure email at the address lucasnolan@protonmail.com
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.