It's a supreme piece of packaging design, but the reality is far from an immaculate conception. Foxconn, the Chinese manufacturer of iPhone, has faced a steady stream of criticism and concerns from poor working conditions to suicides.
Now the Shanghai Evening Post has published a detailed diary of working life at the Foxconn production plant by undercover journalist Wang Yu.
Wang's report stated:
"An iPhone 5 back-plate run through in front of me almost every 3 seconds. I have to pickup the back-plate and marked 4 position points using the oil-based paint pen and put it back on the running belt swiftly within 3 seconds with no errors. After such repeat action for several hours, I have terrible neckache and muscle pain on my arm. A new worker who sat opposite of me gone exhausted and laid down for a short while. The supervisor has noticed him and punished him by asking him to stand at one corner for 10 minutes like the old school days. We worked non-stop from midnight to the next morning 6 am but were still asked to keep on working as the production line is based on running belt and no one is allowed to stop. I'm so starving and fully exhausted."
Dormitories smell of rubbish, sweat and foam, and the reporter wrote of cockroaches in the wardrobes and dirty bedsheets. chinalaborwatch.org reports at least 18 suicides at Foxconn plants in two years, and as a result dorm windows have been barred, which gives the impression of a prison. The various facilities include a gym, canteen, hospital, library and playground, which Wang claims are under-resourced or rundown.
Employees are told that if they set off the metal detectors in the high security production floor they will be sacked on the spot, and claims one employee was dismissed for carrying a USB charging cable.
www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2012/sep/13/cost-iphone-5-foxconn-factory Apple are far from alone in this practice, but is it acceptable?
Recent news stories have brought to public attention the fact that many Apple products, including iPhones, iPads, and Macs, are produced in part in factories with a record of using child labour, failing to provide safe work conditions, and requiring employees to work long shifts for low wages (see, for example, here, here, here and here). This raises the question: should we all stop buying these products?
Suppose you need a new laptop, or at least, are going to buy one. Leaving aside ethical considerations, you are indifferent between getting a Mac and buying a PC laptop from one of Apple’s competitors. Which should you buy?
blog.practicalethics.ox.ac.uk/2012/03/which-is-least-unethical%E2%80%94buying-a-mac-or-buying-a-pc/ What do you think? Do you agree with the proposal?
It is proposed that we should stop buying Apple products until Apple supports fair work practices