“Apple Inc. dispatched its chief operating officer to a Chinese manufacturing partner last year to assess and advise the company after a rash of highly publicized suicides raised concerns about worker conditions at companies affiliated with the consumer-electronics giant,” Ian Sherr reports for The Wall Street Journal. “In its annual survey of suppliers, Apple said Tim Cook visited a Foxconn International Holdings Ltd. factory in Shenzhen, China, last June after nearly a dozen workers killed themselves, some by jumping from buildings.”
“The Cupertino, Calif., company said Mr. Cook and his team made recommendations, including better training of counselors, which were adopted by Foxconn, according to the report made public Monday. Mr. Cook and his team interviewed more than 1,000 workers and evaluated Foxconn’s reaction to the events, which included establishing a 24-hour care center,” Sherr reports. “Apple has now audited 288 supplier facilities since 2007 and it is expanding its initiatives to make sure its partners don’t employ underage workers, that they appropriately train employees and that they pay fair wages, according to the report.”
Sherr reports, “The company said the results of these audits led the company to terminate its relationship with three facilities because management didn’t enact changes it expected.”
Read more in the full article here.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Fred Mertz” for the heads up.]
