“Apple Inc., which is planning to unveil new iPhones in less than a week, is dispatching a team to investigate claims of unsafe labor practices at a Catcher Technology Co. factory in China that makes aluminum enclosures for iPads and MacBooks,” Tim Higgins reports for Bloomberg News under a headline that omits the word “supplier’s” which we’ve added to our headline in the interest of clarity and accuracy, two items about which Bloomberg News seems less concerned than are we.
“A report today by China Labor Watch and Green America found that Tainan Hsien, Taiwan-based Catcher Technology had 22 labor violations,” Higgins reports. “They documented forced, unpaid overtime and improper handling of hazardous materials at a factory in Suqian in eastern China, where about 20,000 workers produce metal casings for Apple and other electronics companies. The investigation was conducted in August.”
“Apple had already been working with Catcher Technology to address concerns following routine inspections, according to Chris Gaither, a spokesman for Apple. Apple conducted a quarterly fire inspection last week and Catcher made same-day fixes to address a number of issues, he said. An annual audit in May also uncovered ‘some concrete areas for improvement,’ and Apple worked with the supplier to develop a corrective action plan, Gaither said.,” Higgins reports. “‘We had scheduled a follow-up visit next month to review their progress, but have dispatched a team there immediately to investigate this report,’ Gaither said in an e-mailed statement. ‘Apple is committed to ensuring safe and fair working conditions for everyone in our supply chain.'”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Note: Apple Inc.’s Supplier responsibility website is:
More anti-Apple FUD?
Mysterious timing, nonetheless.
The three weeks leading up to any Apple product announcement is known as FUD Season. This years FUD Season is turning out to be a doozie.
Contact the Red Chinese government , they’ll fix it.