Use Of Child Labor By Apple Suppliers

Apple recently issued a report on it’s suppliers. The report is on the performance of suppliers in relation to the guidelines they have been given. The report revealed that three suppliers have been using child labour. In total the companies have employed eleven 15yr old workers. One company had tried to cover it up.

Also reported is that 50 factories are working employees for longer than allowed with a 60hr week. Twenty four have been paying less than minimum wage. Only 61% met safety standards, and only 57% had the required environmental permits. All very worrying. Though some may feel that 15 yrs is old enough you can’t ague with the stats on other conditions.

But that’s not all. Most of the suppliers that Apple use said it was the first time ever that they had been audited. However, 133,000 workers have been audited last year in comparison to only 2,000 in 2007. So Apple is stepping up it’s responsibilities. But all this may put a dark cloud in consumers minds, and that’s sometime a tough one to clear.