iPhone factory Jabil Circuit accused of labor abuses
The nonprofit China Labor Watch group says they have uncovered multiple labor violations in a US-owned factory in China. The factory is currently among those producing the soon-to-be-released new iPhone for Apple.
China Labor Watch says the plant infringements include millions of dollars in unpaid overtime wages, lack of rest for workers besides a 30-minute meal break, inadequate pre-work training, discrimination in hiring practices and more.
The China Labor Watch group says the violations contradict the codes of conduct of both Apple and Jabil Circuit.
Jabil Circuit is headquartered in St. Petersburg, Fla. You can read the full PDF report at this link. Apple has a history of claims that labor in its partner plants have been mistreated, most recently in a report about Apple manufacturing partner Pegatron.
Update: Apple issued a statement to Business Insider saying that in 14 audits since 2008, the factory has achieved 99% compliance with making sure each factory worker put in less than 60 hours a week.
