Apple has released its seventh annual supplier audit and it reveals that one of its suppliers—Guangdong Real Faith Pingzhou Electronics—was found to violate its underage labor policy 74 times. Unsurprisingly, Apple was clear about the consequences of such a problems, and has completely severed ties with the manufacturer. More »
On the face of it, Samsung’s latest report on working conditions at the factories of its Chinese suppliers follows just the kind of careful, lawyer-scrutinized language we’d expect from a big multinational. It repeats the manufacturer’s earlier insistence that no children have been employed, while at the same time admitting that there have been “several instances of inadequate practices at the facilities” concerning workers being made to do too much overtime, not being given proper contracts, and being fined if they turn up late or are absent — issues which had already been revealed at one supplier, and which Samsung promises to fix by the end of 2014.
Burrow further into the document, however, and Samsung’s list of promised “corrective actions” implies that its internal investigation has uncovered evidence of other serious problems. These include “physical and verbal abuse,” sexual harassment, a lack of first-aid equipment and inadequate safety training. Some information is also conspicuous by its absence — at least in the short report linked below — including clarity on how widespread any of these failings were among the 109 companies (and 65,000 employees) that have now been audited. Did they crop up at just a handful of factories, or were they endemic across China? We have no idea, but given how much data Samsung has now dutifully amassed, it surely does. We’ve asked the company for more detail and will update if we hear back.
Source: Samsung
Unbox that shiny new iPhone 5 only to find it marred with scratches and blemishes? Good news: Apple is asking Foxconn to adhere to stricter quality demands for its flagship handset. Not so great news: workers at the firm’s Zhengzhou factory are striking over the demands. According to China Labor Watch, three to four thousand workers stepped off the production line to protest the new standards, which only allow for a 0.02mm appearance defect. “It’s tough under such stringent quality requirements,” writes Sina Weibo user and Foxconn employee Yefudao. “A 0.02mm appearance defect is already beyond that of our vision. With such a demanding task, workers’ mental pressure becomes so immense that they have to vent it out.”
China Labor Watch reports that the issue stems not only from the higher quality demands, but the fact that workers are being asked to meet them without receiving the training necessary to do so. The situation hasn’t broken out into a riot, but a dispute between line workers and quality control inspectors reportedly sparked a fight that led to property damage, injury and some hospitalization. Production lines have temporarily been frozen by management while Foxconn deals with the situation.
Workers at Foxconn’s Zhengzhou factory strike in reaction to new iPhone 5 quality standards originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 06 Oct 2012 01:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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News just came in that workers at Foxconn’s Taiyuan plant have started a riot in the wee hours in China, and that police forces are on site to control the crowd. While the motive isn’t clear, Sina Weibo user Li Tian reports that the riot isn’t related to the recent anti-Japan protests, though judging by his photos, much damage has been done in the process. The same site suffered from a strike back in March over salary dispute — the front-line workers failed to receive the promised pay rise. On a similar note, Foxconn’s Chengdu plant also had a riot in June, but that was apparently due to an argument between some workers and a local restaurant owner.
Update: We are seeing unofficial reports claiming the “2,000-people” riot was triggered by security guards hitting a worker at 10pm local time.
Update 2: According to a provincial website, Foxconn’s Taiyuan industrial park focuses on magnesium alloy components for consumer electronics, heat conduction products, LED lighting products, mobile phone products and magnesium alloy automotive components.
Update 3: An undercover report from August mentioned that the Taiyuan plant processed the back casing of the iPhone 5. It also highlighted the company’s harsh management as well as “practically compulsory” over-time work. We don’t doubt that this riot escalated due to dissatisfaction over working conditions.
Update 4: Unsurprisingly, the original Sina Weibo posts have since been deleted. At the time of publication, the author had already noticed that some of the photos were already being censored by Sina. However, the photos over at Baidu Tieba are still intact.
Update 5: Well this is interesting. Foxconn has told Reuters that there was “a fight among workers from different production lines,” but the company’s spokesperson said they’re “still investigating the cause of the fight and the number of people involved.” An official statement will be released on Monday.
Update 6: The Next Web has heard that there were no deaths in the incident. Here’s hoping those 40 injured people will recover quickly.
Riot breaks out at Foxconn’s Taiyuan plant, reportedly over guards beating up a worker originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 23 Sep 2012 16:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Samsung faced some serious allegations surrounding the plants of its Chinese contractor HEG Electronics earlier this month, including potentially dire accusations that HEG was employing child labor. The Korean firm promised audits to set the record straight, and we’re seeing the first fruits of those inspections today. The results were decidedly mixed. While there weren’t any underage workers when Samsung visited, it did find HEG staff working excessive overtime, some unsafe practices and a system that punished late workers with fines. Samsung’s response will go beyond just asking HEG to shape up, though: it plans to finish auditing all 105 of its exclusive Chinese contractors by the end of September, determine whether inspections of non-exclusive contractors are needed and set up a long-term audit schedule past 2013 that includes tougher requirements. While there’s no certainty that the reforms will lead to the intended results, we’re glad to hear that Samsung wants to turn things around at such a rapid pace.
Filed under: Cellphones, Home Entertainment
Samsung finishes initial Chinese factory audits, plans long-term solutions to labor woes originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 03 Sep 2012 09:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
The Wall Street Journal reports that working conditions are getting better at the embattled Foxconn manufacturing facility where 150,000 Chinese workers assemble iPhones and iPads for the rest of the world. According to the report, wages have been raised by 16 percent and the probation period before entry-level workers are accepted as permanent has been reduced from six months to three months. More »
Despite improvements, working conditions are still a sore point in China — and China Labor Watch wants to emphasize that no company is exempt from scrutiny. The rights advocacy group claims that, on top of pushing mandatory overtime and poor overall conditions, Samsung contractor HEG Electronics has allegedly been employing at least seven underage workers at a Huizhou plant making phones and DVD players. Not surprisingly, Samsung has been quick to defend itself, asserting that it found “no irregularities” in two separate inspections this year and that it plans a third as a response to the new accusations. Who’s telling the truth is still up in the air, although China Labor Watch is taking aim only after going undercover; it’s long been suspected that contractors whitewash their labor practices when they see corporate inspectors coming from a mile away. If there’s any substance to the allegations, Samsung may be the next tech giant taking action to mend a bruised public image.
Filed under: Cellphones, Home Entertainment
Samsung accused of, denies employing child labor through Chinese contractor originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 07 Aug 2012 16:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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