Labor violations at factory producing exterior components for computers: hiring discrimination over gender and age (below 35 years old); inadequate training; work 7 days/week during peak season (126 hours of monthly overtime); 14 hour monthly unpaid overtime; 12 hour daily shifts; more if daily quota isn’t met; coerced overtime; work while standing for some workers; inadequate fire protection; 40 confirmed student workers (16 – 18 years old); base salary inadequate to cover basic needs ($233 month) ($1.34 per hour); workers dependent on overtime; workers trained by management during audit visits; wastewater poured into the sewage system.
Incident Tag: Inspection Fraud
Incident where managers and factory workers cheat on inspections.
The Myanmar Dilemma (factory 8)
Labor concerns at garment factory (300 workers): non-living wages; daily base wage 3,600 kyat (€2.71); regular work 60 -68 hours/week; unpaid overtime if production target isn’t met; child labor (16-18 years of age); workers do not receive any health and safety training; protective gear provided only when buyers visit the factory; high temperatures; most workers don’t have a social security card; workers afraid of dismissal if they join a trade union.
SGS and Alibaba Both Ought to be Held Responsible for the Death of a Child Laborer
SGS accused for surface level inspection and ignoring child labor issues.
Once Again, We Question the Reliability of Apple’s Social Responsibility Report
Apple accused of publishing false data concerning labor conditions on it’s supplier factories.
Beyond Foxconn:Deplorable Working Conditions Characterize Apple’s Entire Supply Chain (Ri Teng)
Labor issues at (3) factory plants (~20,000 workers) specializing in producing cases for consumer electronic equipment: 11-12 hour daily shifts, 6 days/week on average; work 7 days/week during peak production (as many as 31 days/month); workers may not have a day off for months at a time; work may reach as many as 18 hours/day; verbally abusive management; dangerous working environment; very poor quality safety equipment, factory switches to better only during customer visit or audit; hundreds student workers aged as low as 16 year old; workers have to take overtime in order to make ends meet (base salary 1,280 RMB ≈$203).
COC: False Advertising of Disney (Hengtai)
Poor conditions in factory (over 2,000 employees) manufacturing plastic toys; use of child laborers (16 years old); 12 hour daily work shifts (14 hours overall factory stay); 6 days/week; inadequate safety precautions on workers exposed to hazardous substances; factory fired ~70 workers protesting over pay and workhours.
GoodElectronics, makeITfair, IMF declare FLA investigation at Apple supplier Foxconn to be a PR stunt
Major labor rights NGOs release open statement accusing a Fair Labor Association audit of Foxconn plants, which concluded that Foxconn factories were ‘better than the norm,’ of major flaws in their system, calling the audits a ‘PR stunt.’
A Case Study: Adidas And Yueyuen (Jiujiang)
Investigation report at factory producing balls and other sports equipment reveals: 10-11 daily work shifts; 6 days/week; mandated overtime during peak season (October-June); work at least 84 hours/week in peak season; reported injuries; incidents of guards beating employees.
Wal-Mart Standards Fail, Workers Suffer
Report raises concerns over labor violations in 5 factories supplying Walmart including: low wages, long work shifts (100-140 hours/month), auditors getting tricked by factory management.
Wal-Mart’s Road to Sustainability: Paved with False Promises? (Ηuasheng)
Labor violations in factory (1400-1500 workers) producing packaging products: 11 -11.5 hour shifts in busy seasons, 7 days/week (77 hours/week overall); extremely low wages ($0.51/hour), that is 60% of the minimum wage; inhaling large amounts of paper particles and other debris; elaborate audit cheating system.