Apple Probe After Factory Staff Abuse Claims

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6:47pm UK, Tuesday February 14, 2012

Holly Williams, China correspondent

The claims date back to 2010, when 13 workers at a factory run by Apple supplier Foxconn committed suicide.

All jumped to their deaths from factory rooftops amidst claims that the company ran military-style production lines on which employees are forced to work overtime for low wages.

We believe that workers everywhere have the right to a safe and fair work environment, which is why we've asked the FLA to independently assess the performance of our largest suppliers.

Apple chief executive Tim Cook

Foxconn denied the allegations and later installed safety nets at one of its factories to prevent further suicides.

The Taiwanese-owned company also manufactures products for Sony, Nintendo, Hewlett-Packard and Amazon. At least one of its plants is reported to have more than 200,000 workers.

Last year the company was again embroiled in scandal after a fire caused four deaths at a factory ? which produces Apple's iPad ? in southwest China.

Another Apple supplier has also acknowledged that workers were injured after using n-Hexane ? a toxic chemical ? to clean iPhone screens at a factory in Jiangsu.

The employees were compensated, but some say they face ongoing health problems.

Apple has inspected its own factories since 2006, but has now decided to allow the Fair Labour Association ? an auditor funded in part by companies that use its services ? to visit suppliers' facilities, interview workers and check documentation.

Apple chief executive Tim Cook said in a statement that the FLA inspections would be "unprecedented in the electronics industry, both in scale and scope".

"We believe that workers everywhere have the right to a safe and fair work environment, which is why we've asked the FLA to independently assess the performance of our largest suppliers."

The gadget manufacturer announced the move after consumer activism website change.org gathered 200,000 signatures for a petition urging Apple to protect workers' rights when workloads spike around the time of new product launches.

However, workers' right groups have criticised the audit, claiming that as a business-funded organisation the FLA is not independent.

Despite the negative reports about Apple factories in China, the California company saw its stock top $500 a share for the first time on Monday.

A fire at a Foxconn factory in southwest China left four dead

Shares gained 1.86% during the day, powered by reports a new iPad may be unveiled next month.

Apple received another boost as it came top of a survey that asks Americans to rate the reputations of 60 well-known US companies, achieving the highest ever score in the annual poll.

Source: http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/Technology/Apples-China-Factories-Face-Inspection-After-Worker-Abuse-Claims/Article/201202216169416?f=rss

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