Michal Marek Apple this week published another regular message on progress in the field of responsibility towards suppliers and at the same time updated his web page dedicated to the issue of the working conditions of employees within the supply chain. Added new information and details about the successes that Apple has recently achieved in trying to improve the conditions of workers working mainly in the factories where iPhones and iPads are assembled.
The conclusions of the ninth regularly issued report by Apple were drawn from a total of 633 audits, which covered 1,6 million workers in 19 countries around the world. Another 30 workers were then given the opportunity to comment on workplace conditions via a questionnaire.
One of Apple's biggest achievements in 2014, according to the report, was eliminating the fees that potential employees had to pay to employment agencies to secure a place at an Apple factory. It often happened that the person interested in the job had to buy his place for a relatively considerable amount from the agency that was in charge of hiring workers. There are also known cases where the passports of those interested in work were confiscated until they were able to pay the fee for working in the factory.
Apple's progress also lies in the fact that it has removed from its supply chain such suppliers of minerals that have been linked to armed groups involved in human rights abuses. In 2014, 135 smelters were verified as conflict-free and another 64 are still in the process of being verified. Four smelters were removed from the supply chain for their practices.
Apple also managed to apply the maximum 92-hour work week in 60 percent of cases. On average, workers worked 49 hours a week last year, and 94% of them had at least one day off every 7 days. 16 cases of child labor were also revealed, in six different factories. In all cases, employers were forced to pay for the worker's safe return home and continue to pay wages and tuition at the school of the worker's choice.
The Californian company is often the target of negative campaigns pointing to poor working conditions in Chinese factories that make its products for the company. Most recently, for example, into the practices of Apple suppliers relied on the British BBC. However, the iPhone manufacturer rejects these accusations and, according to its words - and regular reports - is doing everything possible to improve the situation in Asian factories.
In published materials, Apple focuses in particular on child labor and also strives to ensure a dignified and safe environment for workers in its supply chain. On the one hand, we can question the motives of Tim Cook and his company as a form of brand image building, but on the other hand, Apple's special team focused on supplier responsibility has done a lot of work in recent years that cannot be denied or downplayed.
