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Apple Is Making Life Terrible In Its Factories (theregister.co.uk)
An anonymous reader writes: Pressure from Apple to lower costs is driving worsening conditions for workers at the company's manufacturing partners.
This according to watchdog group China Labor Watch, which says that under CEO Tim Cook, the Cupertino giant has asked the companies that assemble its products to cut their own costs, and those demands have led them to cut back on worker pay and factory conditions. Specifically, the group reports that Pegatron has been passing on financial pressures from Apple by committing multiple violations of Chinese labor laws on fair pay and workplace safety.
"Working conditions are terrible, and workers are subject to terrible treatment," China Labor Watch writes. "Currently, Apple's profits are declining, and the effects of this decline have been passed on to suppliers. To mitigate the impact, Pegatron has taken some covert measures to exploit workers."
This according to watchdog group China Labor Watch, which says that under CEO Tim Cook, the Cupertino giant has asked the companies that assemble its products to cut their own costs, and those demands have led them to cut back on worker pay and factory conditions. Specifically, the group reports that Pegatron has been passing on financial pressures from Apple by committing multiple violations of Chinese labor laws on fair pay and workplace safety.
"Working conditions are terrible, and workers are subject to terrible treatment," China Labor Watch writes. "Currently, Apple's profits are declining, and the effects of this decline have been passed on to suppliers. To mitigate the impact, Pegatron has taken some covert measures to exploit workers."
Why do you need a union? As long as there isn't work coercion, if you don't like the pay rate, or the quality of the workplace, leave.
This is what happens when there are more people looking for work, than there is work by people to be done. You get workers willing to give more and get less. That's simple market theory, and has nothing to do with Apple. Apple should be negotiating the best rates it's from its suppliers. In fact, being publicly traded, it would be unethical not to. They aren't allowed to just burn through cash because "who cares about shareholders". The management team at Apple have a fiduciary duty to do so. Oh and some shareholders... Yeah hey don't make my heart bless (Carl Icahn, Warren Buffett), but some do (pensions, 401Ks, etc...).
Soon, the Chinese and even the rest of us will miss these good old days when people WERE ACTUALLY NEEDED. These positions and pay rates are better than not being employed. If they weren't, the workers wouldn't turn up, unless they are being coerced, of course.
Apple is absolutely still being innovative. We had a story just last week about how they're leading the tech sector in the innovative ways in which they pander to racial minorities and sexual deviant groups. The Chinese workers may not be in love with the forced overtime, low pay and grueling labor conditions of Apple's factories, but I'm sure deep down they have no small amount of well-earned pride that across the sea in Cupertino transethnic pansexual demiqueer genderfluid owlkin working at Apple's offices are being treated with the respect and dignity they so richly deserve.
We don't have a state-run media we have a media-run state.