FLA report on Foxconn causes rights groups indignation

PanARMENIAN.Net - The Fair Labor Association (FLA) has claimed Apple supplier Foxconn is ahead of schedule with a remediation plan in place at three factories to improve working conditions, but labor groups have warned that major issues still exist throughout Apple’s supply chain, according to The Register.

The FLA’s latest report tracks progress at Foxconn’s plants in Shenzhen (Guanlan and Longhua) and Chengdu, since the landmark action plan agreed between it, parent company Hon Hai and Apple back in March.

The report, which was compiled after on-site inspections and interviews with staff and managers, paints a pretty positive picture of improvements.

It found that 100 per cent of remediation actions due by May 31had been completed and just over half of those actions due to be completed before the final deadline of July 1, 2013 have been finished ahead of schedule.

The report claimed Foxconn has improved its internship program to ensure students don’t work overtime and that they are made aware they can terminate the internship at any time. It also said Foxconn has extended unemployment insurance coverage for migrant workers in Shenzhen.

The FLA said Foxconn has reduced hours per week to 60 including overtime with the goal of achieving the legal limit of 40 hours per week including nine hours overtime without affecting pay.

However, labor rights groups have argued from the start that such investigations fail to solve the fundamental problems in Chinese manufacturing plants.

“The audit system itself is fundamentally flawed. It only looks at the things the brand is interested in, which are almost certainly not the issues most workers are concerned with,” said Geoff Crothall, spokesperson for Hong Kong-based China Labor Bulletin.

Another group which has been a constant thorn in the side of Apple and other big name tech brands is China Labor Watch (CLW), which last month claimed that widespread bribery is undermining the audit system.

CLW founder Li Qiang said: “Although the working hours at Foxconn have been reduced to less than 60 hours per week, the intensity of the hourly work has been increased. According to our follow-up investigation, the workers have to complete the workload of 66 hours before within 60 hours now per week. As a result, the workers get lower wages but have to work much harder and they are not satisfied with the current situation. The harsh working conditions are by no means isolated to just Foxconn but exist throughout Apple’s supply chain. However, that report only focused on Foxconn factories. It is Apple’s entire supply chain system that should be responsible for the squeezing of workers.”