The Truth of the Apple iPad Behind Foxconn’s Lies

A short video on working conditions at Foxconn’s iPad production site in Chengdu, the Truth of the Apple iPad Behind Foxconn’s Lies, is released today to unveil the exploitations at Foxconn to Apple’s consumers. In addition, it exposes the problem of forced eviction of farmers due to Foxconn’s investment.

A short video on working conditions at Foxconn’s iPad production site in Chengdu, the Truth of the Apple iPad Behind Foxconn’s Lies, is released today to unveil the exploitations at Foxconn to Apple’s consumers. In addition, it exposes the problem of forced eviction of farmers due to Foxconn’s investment. Many farmers were forced to move and there is little government compensation, what makes it worse is that Foxconn – with the backing of pro-investment officials – has taken the resettlement houses which were meant for the farmers to use them as worker’s dormitories.

The footage was taken in spring 2011; SACOM visited the newly built Foxconn site in Chengdu, where production of Apple’s iPad is in full swing. SACOM reports about rampant labour rights violations and harsh management. Workers always have excessive and forced overtime work. They have to skip meals if they cannot accomplish the production target. They have to stand for over 10 hours on shop floor and cannot talk with each other and are exposed to chemicals aluminium dust but do not have adequate protection. And it is appalling that almost all the new workers are persuaded to come by misleading job advertisements with the support of the government and have to undergo military training.

Both Apple and Foxconn keep stating that they are complying with their code of conduct and local laws despite findings of rampant rights violations by NGOs and media. MakeITfair urges the two companies to be accountable to the workers on the production lines and give a public account to the public. According to the interviewees, important clients like Apple have representatives in the factory to monitor the quality and productivity of the products. In other words, Apple is aware of the labour rights abuses at Foxconn. “We hope that Apple can invest its energy to look into the conditions of its production workers,” says a male worker at his early twenties in the video: “We truly hope that Apple will help us, to understand us, to understand what life for us workers is like”.

An explosion at their plant in Chengdu on May 20, killed 3 workers, and 15 were injured. Six days later, a 20 year old male worker of Foxconns’ Chengdu plant committed suicide by jumping off a building, reported a Hong Kong China News Agency. Since 2010, 19 young Foxconn workers attempted suicide, of which 16 died. The European campaign makeITfair and global network GoodElectronics called on Apple and Foxconn in an International Action day on 7 May to improve working conditions in the supply chain.

Video ‘the Truth of the Apple iPad Behind Foxconn’s Lies’, with interviews with new footage of the Foxconn production site in Chengdu and interviews with local workers:

 

Read SACOM’s investigative report Foxconn and Apple Fail to Fulfill Promises: Predicaments of Workers after the Suicides(opens in new window)