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Chinese Supplier Gets Dumped By Apple For Fraudulently Using Underage Labor

Posted by timothy on from the didn't-ask-for-her-license dept.

jones_supa writes "Another report from Apple regarding Chinese labor practices surfaces. After conducting its 2011 audits to 339 sites, the company found that cases of underage labor had jumped from 6 to 74 in one year. It was concentrated in a single circuit board manufacturer, which Apple says was willfully conspiring with families to forge age-verification documents. According to a new report, Apple didn't find any cases of underage workers at its final assembly suppliers in 2012, but it plans to continue going deeper into the supply chain to ferret out violators. We are talking about Guangdong Real Faith Pingzhou Electronics Co., with which Apple has now terminated its relationship."

3 of 206 comments (clear)

  1. they go back to school , not on the street by Inigo+Montoya · · Score: 5, Informative

    Did anyone who's already posted even read the article? Apparently, the children are placed back at home and their education is completely financed by the violator. Apple follows-up regularly to make sure they are complying.

    The child probably went to work in the first place because the family could not afford an education, so they had to choose between sending the child to school or putting food on the table. So now they can put the child back in school, and someone else in the family can work to put food on the table, and not have to worry about paying for an education for the child anymore.

    1. Re:they go back to school , not on the street by ernest.cunningham · · Score: 5, Informative

      If you read the article further yourself, not only does the company have to pay for their education, but also pay the child the same wage it was earning!

      To quote the article:
      When new violations are found, Apple requires its suppliers to return the workers back to a school chosen by the family and finance their education. "In addition, the children must continue to receive income matching what they received when they were employed. We also follow up regularly to ensure that the children remain in school and that the suppliers continue to uphold their financial commitment," wrote Apple in its latest report.

      I don't think anybody who has posted read the article at all.

  2. Everyone picks on Apple... by ilsaloving · · Score: 5, Informative

    Apple gets a lot of flak for 'letting it happen', but Apple is the only company I know of that is actively trying to do something about it.

    If this is happening to Apple, you KNOW it's happening to everyone else. And I have yet to hear a single report of Samsung doing a similar thing to what Apple is doing now.