Apple iPad plant working conditions aren’t so bad as rumored

[iDan]

We’ve all heard stories about how horrible working conditions are in China. And Apple is no stranger to accusations of offering an inhumane environment. Some time ago a NYTimes article described the horrible conditions in Apple’s factories in China. Apparently workers were made to work ever 60 hours a week in sometimes deadly conditions. With all that bad press can go down the drain now – non-profit agency has been re-visiting the plants and stated that working conditions are way better than those provided in garment factories and the like.

The Fair Labor Association has begun its investigations following reports of workers committing suicide. FLA will drop by at other supplier locations like Quanta Computer Inc., Pegatron Corp or Wintek Corp. So far the team has been to Foxconn and the feedback is incredibly positive. President of FLA Auret van Heerden stated that the facilities are very homey and are way above the average norm in the country. "I was very surprised when I walked onto the floor at Foxconn, how tranquil it is compared with a garment factory. So the problems are not the intensity and burnout and pressure-cooker environment you have in a garment factory.â€

He then noted that there are a lot of young workers in the factories that usually come from rural areas. It is their first time living on their own and the industrial lifestyle they emerge themselves is often too much for them. Most of all they miss the emotional support of their families, and they have no way of getting it in here. So there you have it. So far so good. It’s not Apple’s working condition’s that is making people commit suicide, but boredom and alienation – the difficulty of blending in a total different environment are the factors to be blamed.

Source: reuters.com

 

[Kaykaykay]

The key is whether suicides are comparable per capita across similar factories, because boredom and alienation probably are true for all migrants who take factory jobs.