“Apple Computer has said a report of labour conditions at its iPod plant in China found workers did more than 60 hours a week a third of the time… the report has been criticised by a leading international trade union organisation for not being independently verified,” BBC News reports.

“Janek Kuczkiewicz, director of human and trade union rights at the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU), said he was not impressed by the report,” The Beeb reports. “Mr Kuczkiewicz said: ‘We are not impressed either by the report or by the findings of Apple. Apple interviewed just 100 people out of the estimated 30,000 iPod workers. We do not know the conditions in which the interviews were held. We have serious reservations about the report.’”

The Beeb reports, “The audit team said staff earned ‘at least the local minimum wage’ and that half of the 100 people it interviewed earned above that amount.” Mr Kuczkiewicz said Apple had not asked workers what they preferred – a decent wage or minimum wage and overtime. ‘We believe it is the workers’ role to monitor standards. That has not happened at the Apple plant in China. We would like to remind Apple there are other labour standards – freedom from discrimination, freedom of association and freedom to bargain collectively.’”

Full article here.

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