Published
Foxconn, Apple's main manufacturer in China, has taken steps to improve working hours and conditions, said the US-based Fair Labor Association (FLA).
Health breaks and measures to guard against repetitive stress injury were some of the changes the FLA found after an inspection.
The report said Foxconn was ahead of schedule in implementing the FLA's recommendations.
The review came after a number of suicides at Foxconn factories.
Apple asked the FLA to investigate workers' conditions at the Taiwan-based company after reports of safety violations and long working hours.
After finding numerous violations of Chinese regulation in three factories in Shenzhen and Chengdu, in March the FLA published a report with recommendations for improving conditions.
Apple and the FLA set out a 15-month 'action plan' with a deadline of 1 July 2013.
The report published Tuesday was a status update on the implementation of those recommendations.
It found that Foxconn has completed 284 of the recommended changes, with 76 more items due.
Although the deadline for compliance with Chinese labour laws is July 2013, the FLA says Foxconn has begun taking steps towards reducing working hours.
The company has limited hours to 60 a week, including overtime.
The FLA says Foxconn is aiming to reduce further to 40 hours a week plus an average of 9 hours overtime while protecting workers' pay. However, it added that this would be its biggest challenge in the coming year.
The three plants covered in the report employ 178,000 workers making Apple products.
Foxconn has 1.3 million workers in total, producing electronics for other companies including Sony and Hewlett-Packard.
Published
4 April 2012
Published
30 March 2012
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As someone deeply engaged in labor rights and corporate responsibility, I've closely followed the significant developments related to Foxconn and Apple's efforts to address labor conditions in their manufacturing plants. The partnership between Foxconn and the Fair Labor Association (FLA) sparked considerable attention and scrutiny due to reported safety violations, long working hours, and tragic incidents like worker suicides.
Foxconn, being Apple's primary manufacturer in China, underwent thorough investigations by the FLA following reports of labor violations and safety concerns. The inspections revealed several areas needing improvement, including excessive working hours, safety violations, and insufficient breaks. These findings led to a comprehensive 15-month 'action plan' set by Apple and the FLA, with a deadline of July 1, 2013, to implement necessary changes.
The status updates on the implementation of recommendations revealed progress: Foxconn had completed 284 of the suggested changes with 76 more pending. Notably, steps were taken to improve working hours, initially limiting them to 60 hours a week, including overtime, and aiming to reduce them further to 40 hours a week plus an average of 9 hours overtime while ensuring workers' pay protection.
This significant effort aimed to address the welfare of 178,000 workers across three plants manufacturing Apple products within Foxconn's expansive workforce of 1.3 million employees, responsible not only for Apple but also for producing electronics for other industry giants like Sony and Hewlett-Packard.
The collaboration between Apple and the FLA, coupled with the ongoing progress reports, exemplifies a crucial shift in corporate responsibility towards worker welfare in supply chains. It demonstrates a commitment to improving conditions and implementing changes based on credible assessments by independent organizations like the FLA.
The endeavor, marked by ongoing assessments and a commitment to reducing working hours while ensuring fair compensation, highlights the complexities and challenges in aligning with both international labor standards and local regulations within China's manufacturing landscape.
