Strike at Wintek (Apple) factory “settled”

Sunday, January 24, 2010

Are Wintek workers dying to make this?

As reported here two days ago, workers at a Wintek factory in Souzhou, China were clashing with their employers, venting their frustration over working conditions, pay and bonuses (or lack thereof). Apple Insider is reporting that the “strike” was “settled” a day or two after it began because the promised Chinese New Year bonus was reinstated. But as we reported in our previous article, the strike was not just about pay. There were also serious concerns with worker safety while working with chemicals in the factory. There is no word about any changes that might have been made to improve those conditions. Hopefully these other issues were not swept under the carpet once the bonuses went out. Wintek was careful to give the impression that production had not been affected. Not even a hiccup in the huge production chain? Seems too good to be true.

This Wintek factory is making displays for Apple iPhones, touches and the tablet. There were four recent deaths at Wintek. Is this due to the improper safety precautions in the use of hexane to clean the screens? Hopefully Apple is keeping tabs on the situation. Last year, an audit of factories Apple contracts with in China showed that a substantial number were not paying valid overtime rates for those that qualified. Premium overtime is paid at twice the normal rate, however many companies are paying 1.5 times for overtime, Wintek included.

In a country where a 60 hour work week is the norm, overtime is a very sensitive issue. In addition, 23 of the 83 surveyed factories weren’t even paying their workers China’s minimum wage. Back in 2006 Apple conducted an audit of its Foxconn facilities in Taiwan and found them lacking. They enlisted the services of Verité, an internationally recognized leader in workplace standards, to ensure that its manufacturing partners around the world are in compliance with its Code of Conduct. Is Apple paying attention? Is Verite being contracted on an ongoing basis? Apple has a big stake in the new iTablet. It would be a shame to lose corporate good will at such a delicate time as the launch of a new product.

As a commenter stated in the Apple Insider comment section, it is high time Apple put it’s money where it’s mouth is. Do something really amazing, incredible and cool Steve, bring your company’s manufacturing back to the United States! The jobs would be greatly appreciated! Not to mention the huge amount of corporate good will this would generate for Apple. Apple has to make sure there is nothing rotten anywhere in their enterprise.
This is an article by The Apps Machine.