BBC has aired Panorama: Apple's Broken Promises, an investigation into the treatment of workers in the Chinese factories that make Apple products.
The report found that Apple's promises to protect factory workers were routinely broken.
Apple is the most valuable brand on the planet, making products that everyone wants - but how are its workers treated when the world isn't looking? Panorama goes undercover in China to show what life is like for the workers making the iPhone 6. And it's not just the factories. Reporter Richard Bilton travels to Indonesia to find children working in some of the most dangerous mines in the world. But is the tin they dig out by hand finding its way into Apple's products?
BBC says it found standards on workers' hours, ID cards, dormitories, work meetings and juvenile workers were being breached at the Pegatron factories.
The news outlet was able to capture video of exhausted workers falling asleep during lengthy 12 hour shifts. One reported had to work 18 days straight despite repeatedly requesting a day off. Another reported who worked up to 16 hours in one shift said: "Every time I got back to the dormitories, I wouldn't want to move. Even if I was hungry I wouldn't want to get up to eat. I just wanted to lie down and rest. I was unable to sleep at night because of the stress."
Apple strongly disagreed with the program's conclusions stating, "We are aware of no other company doing as much as Apple to ensure fair and safe working conditions. We work with suppliers to address shortfalls, and we see continuous and significant improvement, but we know our work is never done."
Take a look at the video below...
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The report found that Apple's promises to protect factory workers were routinely broken.
Apple is the most valuable brand on the planet, making products that everyone wants - but how are its workers treated when the world isn't looking? Panorama goes undercover in China to show what life is like for the workers making the iPhone 6. And it's not just the factories. Reporter Richard Bilton travels to Indonesia to find children working in some of the most dangerous mines in the world. But is the tin they dig out by hand finding its way into Apple's products?
BBC says it found standards on workers' hours, ID cards, dormitories, work meetings and juvenile workers were being breached at the Pegatron factories.
The news outlet was able to capture video of exhausted workers falling asleep during lengthy 12 hour shifts. One reported had to work 18 days straight despite repeatedly requesting a day off. Another reported who worked up to 16 hours in one shift said: "Every time I got back to the dormitories, I wouldn't want to move. Even if I was hungry I wouldn't want to get up to eat. I just wanted to lie down and rest. I was unable to sleep at night because of the stress."
Apple strongly disagreed with the program's conclusions stating, "We are aware of no other company doing as much as Apple to ensure fair and safe working conditions. We work with suppliers to address shortfalls, and we see continuous and significant improvement, but we know our work is never done."
Take a look at the video below...
Read More