Since releasing the iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C, Apple has garnered attention: although some positive, much is negative. Many articles criticize the problematic methods of Apple’s subcontractors, including inadequate safety, unpaid wages and excessive hours. In 2010, similar concerns arose near the announcement of Apple’s iPhone 4. Screen-cleaning chemicals poisoned workers and it was reported that many had committed suicide in Foxconn, an assembly factory. However, there are articles supporting its first-class facilities. In 2012, the president of The Fair Labor Association (FLA) stated that the physical conditions were above the average norm.
The conflicting articles over the past 3 years raise the question of Apple’s suppliers’ consideration of all parts of business: including employees. The FLA stated they would recommend actions, but suppliers have yet to permanently rectify ethical issues. Apple is not completely to blame for the mistreatment of factory employees: it is the suppliers’ actions that summon Apple’s name in the media. Maintaining solutions to this issue proves to be difficult as the companies’ values lie in the mass production of products at low costs, while ignoring social expectations. Apple’s corporate image helps to shadow such companies’ unethical procedures, allowing them to evade the complete potential blame.
Sources:
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2010/may/07/chinese-workers-sickness-hexane-apple-iphone
http://www.labornotes.org/blogs/2010/06/suicides-apple-factory-china-rock-sweatshop-supply-system
http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2013/sep/05/workers-rights-flouted-apple-iphone-plant
http://www.zdnet.com/china-labor-watch-says-pegatron-student-unpaid-rights-violated-7000020465/
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