Just a couple of days after describing the factories where the iPhone and iPad are made as "first class," investigators have pulled what sounds like quite a U turn, hinting that things might not be quite as rosy as they first thought.
The Fair Labor Association (FLA) is investigating working conditions at Foxconn's factories in China. The FLA's initial assessment was glowing, but now it's found "tons of issues," Bloomberg reports.
FLA chief executive officer Auret van Heerden said in a telephone interview: "We're finding tons of issues… I believe we're going to see some very significant announcements in the near future."
He declined to elaborate on what these findings were, or what the announcements could be, so we'll have to wait and see. The FLA will report its findings in the coming weeks, when Foxconn will be able to contest them or agree to comply. In a statement Foxconn said it was "cooperating fully with this audit and we will review and act on all findings and recommendations."
The company is under investigation after reports surfaced of poor conditions, industrial accidents (including explosions), and even workers driven to suicide. The initial findings described the factory as "tranquil," compared to a garment factory.
This angered one activist group, who lambasted van Heerden for speaking ahead of the official report. I'm not sure if they'll be happy he's spoken again so soon, even if he did so to seemingly curb his earlier enthusiasm. Yesterday Foxconn announced it had raised its workers wages by between 16 and 25 per cent. Call me cynical, but could that be an attempt to get people on side ahead of the publication of an unfavourable report?
Foxconn has been subject of controversy for a few years now, so it'll be interesting to see the results of this investigation. And transparency has to be a good thing. How do you think it'll fare? Let me know in the comments below, or over on Facebook.
Android App 
RSS Feeds 
iPhone App 
Newsletters 
Comments 5
Add your comment
Naryan 18 February, 2012 17:35
I wonder where the first investigator gets his pay checks from...
anonymous 18 February, 2012 20:33
I assume they meant the sort of "first class" offered by the Royal Mail.
anonymous 19 February, 2012 15:00
The disturbing thing is, an economy run purely by "market forces" will dictate that as soon as the price of this labor exceeds the price of specialized assembally automation/robots, all these people shall starve.
All the benefits of factory automation went to, and goes to the factory owners. It is never shared with the working class. Even though then invented it.
anonymous 20 February, 2012 15:13
That picture is wrong -- it was taking at a competitor's plant. Not Foxconn. The embroidering on the shirts tells you the correct manufacturer.
anonymous 13 April, 2012 14:18
The investigators may well have done a terrific job, but their spokesman is most definitely not deliverying the findings in a professional manner. First, the use of comparisons with appalling conditions elsewhere as a way of reassuring us things are ok is disengenous and patronising. Earning 2 pennies a day is better than working for nothing. Ok, it is, but both still suck. Secondly, What does describing things as tranquil by comparison add to this context? What did they expect to find, barking dogs and gun toting guards in an environment that requires the manufacture and assembly of precision components? I'm sure they are tranquil by comparison to plenty of workpaces in the uk that have very contented staff. My opinion would be that tranquillity in the workplace is a minor factor required for happy staff in a country where significant other abuses such as mind numbing manual labour, forced long hours and poor pay are the major vectors of exploitation, none of which require a lack of tranquillity.