Apple has released the results of its investigation into whether workers at its iPod manufacturing plant in China have been subject to labour abuses.
The Mac maker employed an audit team to examine labour standards, working and living environment, compensation, overtime and worker treatment and to interview a cross-section of workers.
According to the report, Apple did find evidence of breaches in its code of conduct in the plant and "areas for improvement".
Among Apple's concerns are an overly complex wage structure and the standards of some dormitories for workers.
While both of those areas are being worked on, Apple also found staff are spending more than 60 hours per week at their jobs and are not always getting their mandated one day off per week.
The audit said: "Although our code of conduct allows overtime limit exceptions in unusual circumstances, we believe in the importance of a healthy work-life balance and found these percentages to be excessive."
Working hours have now been brought in line with Apple's code of conduct.
Apple reported no evidence of child or forced labour in the manufacturing facility and found workers were making "at least local minimum wage", although did not add what minimum wage in China is considered to be.
The Cupertino company has now employed an external auditor to measure aspects of the Chinese plant's labour conditions, such as health and safety.
Based on statements at Apple: Apple is either professionally incompetent or is unconcerned about worker abuse.
To express shock, by Apple, about the working conditions in China is not surprising since it is a standard PR Tactic. To appear to do something about the problem, while not affecting the bottom line, is also standard procedure.
The bottom line is that Apple Computer knows:
1) The human resources required to assemble an iPOD.
2) The human resources supplied to meet Apple's labor demands.
3) The demand placed on these resources by orders.
The idea that Apple was shocked by the conditions at these plants infers merely the idea that Apple computer executives, at a high level, either can not perform simple multiplication and division, (Units Requested to be Assembled over a period of time * Resources Required for Assembly)/Total Resources Available, or engage in contract labor without concern. Take your choice, professionally incompetent or unconcerned.
The unconcerned part seems to be definitely indicated by overtime limitations being removed when lack of production would cost Apple. And I might add lack of production because of incompetent planning.
It is also reinforced by the idea that Apple would threaten to remove said contract, knowing the game here is nothing short of a strategy that encourages human rights abuses in a vicious cycle of cover-up and survival.
It is also possible that Apple has a production incentive program. That if the company is able to provide more then a certain baseline quantity they get a higher per piece price. If this is the case Apple is responsible for the problem in a very direct way. I would like to see them either confirm or deny this claim, together with their claim their global mangers with MBA degrees can not add, subtract, multiply or divide. I wonder what school they graduated from. Perhaps it was Harvard, they are well known for producing inferior graduates like this while maintaining a 4.0 GPA.
The fix would be simple, not require of an outsourced vendor more then they can supply and maintain workforce standards.
Apple's responses have indicated that they just do not get it - it is business as usual for them