Apple has been accused of ignoring its suppliers’ violations of Chinese labor laws that require no more than 10% of a company’s workforce be temporary, The Verge reported [1], citing a report in The Information [2].
Three former members of Apple’s “supplier responsibility team” allege the company “took no major action against its suppliers for violating the temp-worker labor law out of concerns it would create costs, drain resources and delay product launches.” If the claims are true, it’s notable because the iPhone maker says it applies its supplier code of conduct policies equally across its supply chain, which should prevent these kinds of violations from happening, according to The Verge.
Apple last month put a major supplier on probation [3] — which precludes the factory from receiving new business for falsifying student work program paperwork.
A labor watchdog group last year accused [4] an Apple iPhone factory of violating Chinese labor laws, with around half its workforce being temporary. The factory, Foxconn, pledged to address the issue.