By Nick Summers / Source: Engadget

Apple CEO Tim Cook has said he’s “deeply offended” by fresh allegations of poor working conditions in its suppliers’ Chinese factories. Contractors hired by Apple to assemble its latest products have been exposed before, and while the firm has tried to be more proactive in recent years, a new BBC investigation suggests the same problems still persist. Undercover reporters hired at Pegatron factories discovered an exhausted workforce regularly falling asleep at the production line. Twelve hour shifts are common, which means employees often clock over 60 hours on the factory floor each week — well above China’s 44-hour limit, but still possibly legal given the country permits 36 hours of overtime each month.

The BBC also highlighted other mispractices. One journalist was forced to hand over his ID card, breaking local laws that require everyone to hold an ID at all times. During health and safety tests, which is part of the induction process, examiners gave prospective employees the answers. Furthermore, when asked about work preferences, it was implied that candidates not willing to work nights, or shifts that require standing up for long hours, would not be hired. Overcrowding — a hot issue when Apple was criticized over Foxconn factory conditions a couple of years ago, was still a problem too. In one Pegatron dormitory 12 people were sharing a single room, when Apple’s guidelines state a maximum of eight.

As you’d expect, Apple has moved quickly to discredit the BBC documentary. An internal Apple memo sent to UK employees, acquired by The Telegraph, said: “Panorama’s report implied that Apple isn’t improving working conditions. Let me tell you, nothing could be further from the truth.” The letter was written by Apple SVP of operations Jeff Williams, who notes “Tim [Cook] and I were deeply offended” by the BBC’s allegations. Williams goes on to argue that “no other company [is] doing as much as Apple does to ensure fair and safe working conditions, to discover and investigate problems, to fix and follow through when issues arise, and to provide transparency into the operations of our suppliers.”

The company reminded employees that its own engineers and managers are “constantly” in the factories to oversee production, and are encouraged to report back on any safety concerns or instances of worker mistreatment. It also took issue with the hours reported by the BBC, claiming that its suppliers are now hitting 93-percent compliance for the weekly 60-hour limit. But as the BBC’s new documentary has shown, suppliers appear to be bending the rules in order to complete the necessary paperwork and satisfy Apple’s guidelines.

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