Apple has announced that it has asked the Fair Labor Association to conduct inspections at its final assembly suppliers. The FLA is a non-profit organisation which describes itself as ‘dedicated to ending sweatshop conditions in factories worldwide.’
Apple said that the inspections, which will include interviews with workers, will start at Foxconn’s plant in Shenzhen on Monday. Foxconn’s plant at Chengdu and factories owned by Quanta and Pegatron will also be inspected.
‘We believe that workers everywhere have the right to a safe and fair work environment, which is why we’ve asked the FLA to independently assess the performance of our largest suppliers,’ said Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO. ‘The inspections now underway are unprecedented in the electronics industry, both in scale and scope, and we appreciate the FLA agreeing to take the unusual step of identifying the factories in their reports.’
The FLA inspectors, said Apple, will ask thousands of factory workers about their living and working conditions, working hours, pay, health and safety, and communication with management.
According to the company, suppliers had pledged full co-operation with FLA, but at least one, Pegatron, had no knowledge of Apple’s plans before the announcement. Business Week, which spoke to Pegatron CFO, Charles Lin, reported that ‘Pegatron Corp., a maker of Apple Inc.’s iPhones, said it hasn’t been informed of any pending inspections of factory work conditions by labor groups, a day after the U.S. company said checks would start this spring.’
Apple became the first technology company to join the FAir LAbor Association earlier this year. It publishes and annual Supplier Responsibility Report.
