The Human Cost of an iPad

starbelgrade · 27-05-2010 11:50PM #1

Concern over human cost overshadows iPad launch

By Martin Hickman

Thursday May 27 2010

The American electronics giant Apple was investigating damaging allegations last night that Chinese workers making its new iPad device were subjected to such "inhumane" treatment that some of them took their own lives by jumping off factory roofs.

An update to the US firm's supplier codes in February revealed that a majority of its 102 facilities flouted its "rigorous" rules on working hours, which include a weekly limit of 60 hours a week - equivalent to 12 hours a day. Some 39pc broke rules on workplace injury prevention and 30pc broke guidelines on the management of toxic chemicals.

Audits uncovered violations involving child labour, falsified records and disposal of hazardous waste.

The company has been embarrassed by publicity surrounding 11 suicide attempts at the vast Foxconn facility near the southern boom city of Shenzhen, where the iPad is made, which threatens to overshadow the global launch of the touch-screen computer tomorrow.

Yesterday a "saddened and upset" Apple promised to investigate whether the plant, which employs 300,000 people who earn around 35 cents an hour, should continue to make its products, which sell for hundreds of euros each.

At the 1.2-square mile Foxconn facility, which also makes products for Dell, Hewlett Packard and Acer, nine workers have died and two have been gravely injured in roof jumps in the first five months of 2010.

All the incidents involved workers aged under 25, who apparently have been disturbed by the long shifts and strict discipline. Talking and music are banned during shifts, which last at least 10 hours. Workers must perform a certain number of repetitive operations per shift, under the eye of allegedly harsh military-style supervisors.

In an attempt to prevent more suicides, the Taiwanese-owned firm has hired 2,000 singers, dancers and gym trainers. It is also putting up netting to thwart future suicides.

http://www.independent.ie/world-news/asia-pacific/concern-over-human-cost-overshadows-ipad-launch-2196991.html

Would reports like this affect your decision to buy the product?

ciano1 · 27-05-2010 11:52PM

Pity apple won't humans as payment for an ipad

stovelid · 27-05-2010 11:53PM

starbelgrade wrote: »

Yesterday a "saddened and upset" Apple promised to investigate whether the plant, which employs 300,000 people who earn around 35 cents an hour, should continue to make its products, which sell for hundreds of euros each.

lol

The_Kew_Tour · 27-05-2010 11:55PM

and we think things are bad here in this country

storm2811 · 27-05-2010 11:55PM

Maybe,but there's not much you can do,nearly everything is "made in china/vietnam/malysia" etc.
And nearly all the working conditions in these places are the same as above.

apple suck anyway!

NothingMan · 27-05-2010 11:56PM

In an attempt to prevent more suicides, the Taiwanese-owned firm has hired 2,000 singers, dancers and gym trainers. It is also putting up netting to thwart future suicides.

Don't train them too well, they might revolt.

weeder · 27-05-2010 11:56PM

nope,

I am living in China now and for China standard this salary is HIGH if compared with other Companies. They also receive food and dormitory and health insurance.

And the life cost here is much lower, in other words you can make much more here in China with USD 280

from another forum.

Only now I realized, if there is actually 300,000 workers at the factory, 9 suicides is nothing. The general suicide rate in china is much bigger(13.9 per 100,00 per year), for 300,000 and as we are almost at half of the year, one should consider a number of suicides of about 20 as being normal...

from same forum

also good to note that this plant isnt an ipad factory, it makes all sorts of electronics including games consoles and whatnot so to single out apple isnt really too fair

bleg · 27-05-2010 11:56PM

No, I won't buy it cause it's crap

stovelid · 27-05-2010 11:58PM

It could be worse: they could be assembling aesthetically inferior PCs.

/rubs cock lovingly against Apple hardware.

Bucklesman · 27-05-2010 11:58PM

starbelgrade wrote: »

Would reports like this affect your decision to buy the product?

The working conditions of the people who make our shiny things should affect everyone's decisions when they buy. Unfortunately most of us are distracted by the shininess. It's an absolute disgrace.

dr.bollocko · 27-05-2010 11:58PM

They make parts for Dell and HP as well as Apple. Amongst many many others.
No doubt it's a crap place to work but it's just one of apple's overseas manufacturing partners. They are one of many customers for this company. I guess the larger question is should these companies be pressured by a media frenzy to cancel contracts and somehow improve PR until everyone forgets about the existance Foxconn.
It's not like companies like Apple actually care about these people. They only care about the negative PR and how they can spin it. If a couple of dumb HR maneuvres can be publicised enough it might all just go away so people can buy the next shiny thing.

starbelgrade · 27-05-2010 11:58PM

adrian280582 wrote: »

and we think things are bad here in this country

Their wages would work out at about 1000 dollars a year. :eek:

27-05-2010 11:59PM

I have no interest in the well being of suicidal Chinese people..

starbelgrade wrote: »

Their wages would work out at about 1000 dollars a year. :eek:

Not in anyway relevant to anything at all ever.

weeder · 27-05-2010 11:59PM

stovelid wrote: »

It could be worse: they could be assembling aesthetically inferior PCs.

.

but they do

starbelgrade · 27-05-2010 11:59PM

dr.bollocko wrote: »

They make parts for Dell and HP as well as Apple. Amongst many many others.
No doubt it's a crap place to work but it's just one of apple's overseas manufacturing partners. They are one of many customers for this company. I guess the larger question is should these companies be pressured by a media frenzy to cancel contracts and somehow improve PR until everyone forgets about the existance of the company.

In fairness, I think there's bigger questions than that in this debate.

alwaysadub · 28-05-2010 12:00AM

Couldn't afford one anyway.

davyjose · 28-05-2010 12:00AM

Yesterday a "saddened and upset" Apple promised to investigate whether the plant, which employs 300,000 people who earn around 35 cents an hour, should continue to make its products, which sell for hundreds of euros each.

This guy?

stovelid · 28-05-2010 12:00AM

weeder wrote: »

but they do

Don't.

RolandIRL · 28-05-2010 12:05AM

i wouldn't buy Apple. was on a mac for the first time this week :eek: and found it absolutely sh*te. annoying to use

Anything else > apple

LD 50 · 28-05-2010 12:10AM

dr.bollocko wrote: »

They make parts for Dell and HP as well as Apple. Amongst many many others.
No doubt it's a crap place to work but it's just one of apple's overseas manufacturing partners. They are one of many customers for this company. I guess the larger question is should these companies be pressured by a media frenzy to cancel contracts and somehow improve PR until everyone forgets about the existance Foxconn.
It's not like companies like Apple actually care about these people. They only care about the negative PR and how they can spin it. If a couple of dumb HR maneuvres can be publicised enough it might all just go away so people can buy the next shiny thing.

This actually happened before with a company in asia that made clothing for Dunnes or Pennys or one of our cheap clothing shops. Someone brought to light the bad working conditions in the factory, hoping to improve conditions for the workers. Instead, Pennys/Dunnes or whoever it was just pulled out and went somewhere else, causing all the people in the factory to lose their jobs.

dr.bollocko · 28-05-2010 12:11AM

starbelgrade wrote: »

In fairness, I think there's bigger questions than that in this debate.

The media takes something to heart and puts a focus on it ad infinitum. Big companies get pressured by that and decide if they want to be associated with said sinister story.
Apple do not care about the employees in that factory. They care only about PR and selling more products. They'll appear to react and make a bunch of BS statements about looking into this and re-examining that. Any kind of consumer boycott or tainting of a product will merely reflect that which is already in public media and do something which will make their products heavier. They do not care about the workers. They don't care if we care about the workers. They only care about making money. So they'll probably just cut ties with Foxconn and people with crap jobs will instead be people with no jobs.

brummytom · 28-05-2010 12:16AM

Thread should come with a 'sensationalist bullshit' warning, tbh

Mr Benevolent · 28-05-2010 12:28AM

I refuse on principle to buy Apples goods because Apple users are insufferably smug about devices that do nothing new or unique.

DO YOU HEAR ME, APPLE FANS? NOTHING NEW OR UNIQUE!

Oh, and that factory stuff is terrible. Terrible.

starbelgrade · 28-05-2010 12:30AM

dr.bollocko wrote: »

The media takes something to heart and puts a focus on it ad infinitum. Big companies get pressured by that and decide if they want to be associated with said sinister story.
Apple do not care about the employees in that factory. They care only about PR and selling more products. They'll appear to react and make a bunch of BS statements about looking into this and re-examining that. Any kind of consumer boycott or tainting of a product will merely reflect that which is already in public media and do something which will make their products heavier. They do not care about the workers. They don't care if we care about the workers. They only care about making money. So they'll probably just cut ties with Foxconn and people with crap jobs will instead be people with no jobs.

And the capititalist monster roams on to newer pastures.

Lifelike · 28-05-2010 01:05AM

whiteman19 wrote: »

i wouldn't buy Apple. was on a mac for the first time this week :eek: and found it absolutely sh*te. annoying to use

Anything else > apple

I don't know how one can even compare Windows to Mac OS. Mac wins hands down in every category, even if no viruses is the only reason.

starbelgrade · 28-05-2010 01:07AM

Lifelike wrote: »

I don't know how one can even compare Windows to Mac OS. Mac wins hands down in every category, even if no viruses is the only reason.

I've been using Windows for years & I haven't had so much as a cold.

TerrorFirmer · 28-05-2010 01:12AM

Lifelike wrote: »

I don't know how one can even compare Windows to Mac OS. Mac wins hands down in every category, even if no viruses is the only reason.

that makes no sense whatsoever. Much like many mac owners reasons for owning macs.

nyarlothothep · 28-05-2010 01:27AM

Most brands are engaged in this practice. Basically they have their goods produced by subcontractors, a pyramid scheme with the people who do the actual work at the bottom. Essentially the brand can focus on the marketing aspect and get away with investing as little as possible in the production. If workers get unionized or begin getting paid too much the corporations relocate to nations which vainly hope that they will get some of the benefits of a trickle down economy by having a multinational on their shores. Its a downright disgrace and unjustifiable. The abuses which go on these factories include from working until you die of exhaustion or disease, sexual harrasment and the miniscule pay level, which under normal circumstances contravene the labour laws of the host country. Once again it just highlights how far "humans" have to evolve. Its part of the whole system of the collusion of corporate and state elite control which needs to be reformed. But you can start by simply boycotting these brands and spreading the information about what they get up to. Its part of a long process of shifting public perception en masse such that the political culture doesn't allow such practices to continue. Kind of like the way in which having slaves is no longer permissable.

Panda · 28-05-2010 01:41AM

Maybe its a smear campaign designed to sort this cockahoop out http://www.ismashphone.com/2010/05/its-happened-apple-is-now-worth-more-than-microsoft.html

m@cc@ · 28-05-2010 01:45AM

starbelgrade wrote: »

Would reports like this affect your decision to buy the product?

In other news: Nike, Adidas, Coca Cola & McDonalds profits plummet over ethical concerns.

The reality is the majority of the world doesn't really give a toss about working conditions in China. They just care about how they can afford their shiny new iPad.

mikom · 28-05-2010 01:51AM

starbelgrade wrote: »

The Human Cost of an iPad

Would reports like this affect your decision to buy the product?

I'm not a women, so I've no use for sanitary towels.

The Human Cost of an iPad

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