Apple Responds to BBC Criticism of Worker Treatment by Apple's Suppliers

BBC One's documentary called "Apple's Broken Promises" aired in the UK today, but ahead of the broadcast, the network published a story detailing what it discovered when it investigated the mines in Indonesia and factories in China where Apple's product supplies are made and gathered. Apple released a statement addressing the documentary.

Reporter Richard Bilton and his Panorama team created the hour-long documentary. Panorama employed several reporters for the project, who then worked at Pegatron factories in China where they say they found multiple violations regarding young workers, ID, cards, and the like. (Notably, specifically regarding juvenile workers, it doesn't clarify what these violations are.)

Source: AppAdvice

But most of the news from the factories arises from the hours the workers endure. One reportedly worked 18 days in a row without a single day off, despite multiple requests for one. Other workers were caught falling asleep in the middle of their 12-hour shifts, and one reporter even worked a 16-hour shift.

The big problem with the shifts is that the extra hours are supposed to be voluntary, but they're not in practice. Workers were sometimes required to attend work meetings off the clock (and with no pay, and living quarters sometimes had as many as 12 people living in the same room.

Panorama's investigations seemed a little more speculative in Indonesia, as they suggested illegal tin could be making it into Apple's supply lines without its knowledge.

In the same report, the BBC acknowledged that Apple had released a statement:

"We are aware of no other company doing as much as Apple to ensure fair and safe working conditions," Apple's statement said. "We work with suppliers to address shortfalls, and we see continuous and significant improvement, but we know our work is never done."

In fact, Apple's statement seems to suggest that the recorded conditions may date from a time before Tim Cook's drive for Apple to be "a force for good." Apple further noted that the crowded conditions in the dormitories had been resolved, and that its suppliers are now required to retroactively required to pay workers for time spent in meetings. As for Indonesia? The Cupertino giant claims the situation is "complex," owing to the many miners selling tin through middlemen.

If you're in the UK, you can watch the documentary on the BBC's website.

Follow this article's writer, Leif Johnson, on Twitter.