laborviolations
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Apple supplier accused of chemical safety and overtime violations
Apple is still struggling to improve working conditions at its suppliers. Both China Labor Watch and Bloomberg report that Catcher, a key supplier for iPhone and MacBook casings, makes workers endure harsh safety conditions and unfair work terms in a factory in Suqian. According to observers and discussions with workers, the machines are not only loud, but spray fluid and metallic particles that frequently hit workers' faces (only some of which have access to safety goggles and gloves). Workers suffer health issues such as vision problems, irritation and discoloration. Beyond this, the facility reportedly pumps out wastewater that violates local safety levels, and workers return to cold dorms with no hot water or built-in showers.
Samsung faces Brazilian government lawsuit over poor working conditions
While Apple and Samsung do have their differences, they unfortunately share at least one similarity: labor violation allegations. The latter now faces yet another labor-related charge, not about its Chinese factories, but one in Brazil. According to Reporter Brasil, Brazil's Ministry of Labor has filed a lawsuit against the Korean company for poor working conditions in a smartphone assembly plant located in Zona Franca de Manaus. Accusations include excessive work hours without rest, few chairs to sit on and a plethora of health problems ranging from bad backs to tendonitis. As a result, 2,018 requests for withdrawal have been filed, which is almost half that of the factory's 5,600 employees. The government is seeking around 250 million reais (roughly $110 million) to compensate workers. In a statement to the Brazilian publication, Samsung says it will cooperate fully with authorities and have pledged to ensure "the highest industry standards regarding safety, health and well-being."
Foxconn admits hiring underage interns
Foxconn released a statement on Tuesday confirming it violated Chinese labor laws by illegally hiring underage workers at its Yantai plant in Shandong Province. Several workers as young as 14 years old were discovered as part of an internal investigation, says a CNET report. Foxconn's statement was released shortly after this violation was reported by China Labor Watch. According to China Labor Watch, these underage workers were part of a school intern program that sends students to work at Foxconn for a period of time. Foxconn did not check the IDs of the interns to confirm they met China's legal minimum working age of 16 years old. In its statement, Foxconn said it immediately sent the interns back to their schools and is taking steps to ensure this doesn't happen again. "This is not only a violation of China's labor law, it is also a violation of Foxconn policy and immediate steps have been taken to return the interns in question to their educational institutions," says Foxconn's statement. "We are also carrying out a full investigation, in cooperation with the respective educational institutions, to determine how this happened and the actions that must be taken by our company to ensure that it can never happen again."
Wintek workers still experience effects from n-hexane exposure, Apple issues a report
It's been a few months since we checked in on the workers at Wintek, where they manufacture touchscreens for the likes of Apple. As you might remember, the former company was facing a lawsuit for chemical poisoning that occurred between May 2008 to August 2009 when the company substituted alcohol for n-hexane in the manufacturing process. Both Apple and Wintek maintain that ultimately a total of 137 people had been hospitalized, and all have recovered -- but as Reuters points out, daily exposure to the chemical has been known to cause "long-term and possibly irreversible nerve damage," and Wintek employees have maintained that the company has left them holding the bag for symptoms that could very well flare up again in the future (or, in some cases, never really went away). "We are unable to cope with the medical costs of treatment in the future," said Guo Ruiqiang, a worker at the plant. "We can only stay in the factory and see what happens. We just feel very helpless now." For Apple's part, the company has mandated that Wintek "work with a consultant to improve their Environmental Health and Safety processes and management systems" in anticipation of a complete reaudit of the facility in 2011. [Warning: PDF More Coverage link]
44 Chinese workers sue Wintek over screen cleaner poisoning
If you've got an early Apple iPad, chances are its screen was cleaned with a banned substance called n-hexane, which releases a toxic nerve gas upon use. 2,000 workers at Wintek's East China LCD plant went on strike in January, claiming the substance was poisoning them, and now 44 of those reportedly affected are planning to sue. According to reports, the screen cleaner was originally used because it performed better than alcohol, but Wintek has since fired the factory manager who suggested n-hexane and discontinued its use. That didn't keep 62 workers from winding up in the hospital, however. The Guardian interviewed two hospitalized workers last week, and you'll find their stories at our more coverage link below. We're sure you'll agree these Chinese labor violations are getting out of hand -- let's hope this lawsuit spurs government and industry to do something concrete about worker abuse.
