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BBC Documentary Claims Apple Fails to Protect Chinese Factory Workers

Jimmy James said:
While Apple (and every other company) should make every effort to demand fair conditions at companies that undertake contracted work for them, I don't believe they are responsible for policing these OTHER companies.

I'm sure many on their legal team put in much longer hours. Perhaps that should be the focus?
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No. Apple simply shouldn't have the products they sell assembled by a company that severely mistreats its employees.

Once it's brought to Apple's attention (assuming for arguments' sake that that Apple was unaware of the abuse before), then the focus is on Apple. Now, Apple doesn't have to do ANYTHING about this. If that hurts their image as a company, that's just the cost of doing business with unscrupulous companies. It makes Apple look unscrupulous by their willing association.

I'm not responsible for approving of anything Apple does, not matter what. I signed no contract saying I would back their decision. Hardly anyone has, so we're all free to judge Apple by how they react to evidence that the humans who put their products together are working under inhumane conditions.
 
Shaun said:
Adding "Yawn" to your reply is very arrogant and I thought you were better than that.

I realise it's difficult for Americans to understand the concept of public service broadcasting where not everything is about ratings.

How sad it must be to have such a cynical outlook on life. The BBC does care about those Chinese workers and if like me you routinely watched the BBC every day you would appreciate that some journalists are in it to expose the truth rather than chase ratings.
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I'll certainly sleep better tonight knowing the BBC cares about the poor factory workers in China. :rolleyes:

I did a search on Twitter and was amazed (well not really) at how many people used the term "Apple factories". So either the BBC wasn't very clear that these are not Apple's factories and these factories are used by many tech companies or they were perfectly fine with people thinking these are Apple factories and Apple employees.

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doelcm82 said:
No. Apple simply shouldn't have the products they sell assembled by a company that severely mistreats its employees.
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This quarter it's likely Apple will sell over 50M iPhones. I'd be curious to know what company outside of China could assemble 50 million iPhones for Apple in one quarter. And if Apple stopped manufacturing in China where would all these Chinese factory workers go? Back to the fields making 1/10 the wages they're paid by Foxconn?
 
Rogifan said:
I'll certainly sleep better tonight knowing the BBC cares about the poor factory workers in China. :rolleyes:

I did a search on Twitter and was amazed (well not really) at how many people used the term "Apple factories". So either the BBC wasn't very clear that these are not Apple's factories and these factories are used by many tech companies or they were perfectly fine with people thinking these are Apple factories and Apple employees.
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These companies are basically subcontractors for Apple (and other brands).

Does Apple have an interest in protecting its intellectual property by demanding certain standards of security from its contractors? Or is it completely up to these companies whether or not they try to reduce leaks of Apple's new products, and Apple basically has no say?

Does Apple have an interest in protecting its reputation by demanding certain standards of employee working conditions from its contractors? Or is it completely up to these companies whether or not they embarrass Apple by making their workers work under conditions that makes Apple's customers feel queasy, and Apple basically has no say?
 
Frankly, whilst the Chinese turn a blind eye to animals being skinned alive for their fur, others caged in horrendous conditions then drowned so their lungs fill with water so they can be sold for more money (as they weigh more), bears caged with catheters in their stomachs to drain the bile for 'medicinal purposes' (to name but a few), a bunch of folks being overworked is the least of my concerns.

I am well aware that two wrongs don't make a right but ....
 
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Shaun said:
I guess you copied and pasted the above without actually reading it.

The British government does NOT fund the BBC.

The British government does set the licence fee charge as it's effectively another form of compulsory taxation but they don't contribute towards it. The fee is paid by every household in the UK.
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If TV licence fees is not a tax to the government and then used to fund BBC which is paid out by a government body I'll eat my hat.
 
doelcm82 said:
These companies are basically subcontractors for Apple (and other brands).

Does Apple have an interest in protecting its intellectual property by demanding certain standards of security from its contractors? Or is it completely up to these companies whether or not they try to reduce leaks of Apple's new products, and Apple basically has no say?

Does Apple have an interest in protecting its reputation by demanding certain standards of employee working conditions from its contractors? Or is it completely up to these companies whether or not they embarrass Apple by making their workers work under conditions that makes Apple's customers feel queasy, and Apple basically has no say?
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what are you smoking:cool::rolleyes:
 
KiwiAdventure said:
If TV licence fees is not a tax to the government and then used to fund BBC which is paid out by a government body I'll eat my hat.
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Some folks just don't understand the nuance between a fee and a tax.
Or so that is what the government tells us.
I'll be eating that same hat.

And

Some folks (IronDuke) haven't learned to separate fact from pure political conjecture and misdirection.
Once they, graduate college (university in limey speak) then get a REAL job, maybe they will open their eyes.



If it pays like a tax and spends like a tax......then by Jove....it must be a tax.
Fee my a$$.
 
doelcm82 said:
No. Apple simply shouldn't have the products they sell assembled by a company that severely mistreats its employees.

Once it's brought to Apple's attention (assuming for arguments' sake that that Apple was unaware of the abuse before), then the focus is on Apple. Now, Apple doesn't have to do ANYTHING about this. If that hurts their image as a company, that's just the cost of doing business with unscrupulous companies. It makes Apple look unscrupulous by their willing association.

I'm not responsible for approving of anything Apple does, not matter what. I signed no contract saying I would back their decision. Hardly anyone has, so we're all free to judge Apple by how they react to evidence that the humans who put their products together are working under inhumane conditions.
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I agree with you.
 
WOW, instead of facing the fact that these Chinese people are OBVIOUSLY in a terrible working condition, so many of you are blaming BBC.

Of course it's not just Apple's fault, the Communist Party has long been the biggest tumor in China.

But blaming BBC? Seriously?
Unpaid interns at BBC? Nice imagination.
BBC not helping, are you??? You did not even mention those workers.

This world is really sick. Shame on you.
 
SHNXX said:
Oh no, the guy worked 60 hours a week!!!
Poor guy. He is so tired that he can't stand anymore and must collapse to sleep


Sheesh.
What a drama queen.
I haven't worked so few hours per week this year.
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.....and still have time to spout drivel here. I bet your still at "work" giving it your all.
 
sualpine said:
So instead of presenting these findings to Apple and actually trying to improve the situation, they are going to capitalize on it by making a "documentary" for more $$$? Disgusting.
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I watched the whole program. They did give Apple a chance to respond before broadcasting it, but not as a way out to keep it secret. This is a follow up of another investigation, where Apple promised to correct these issues. So it's not like they are making anything up - their findings are pretty solid. Apple decided not to grant them an interview and released a PR statement instead.

But as far as they "trying to improve the situation"... that's not their job. Their job is precisely what they did: report it to the public so we can make better choices as consumers. Why should they "present these findings to Apple"? Apple is just another corporation that will do anything for money - not like they are any kind of authority.

Good work, BBC. I think it's great that Apple is put under scrutiny - that will make them a better company, and us, better consumers. And if not, informs us so we think again before blindingly upgrading so often or believing their commercials. Green products? my foot!
 
KiwiAdventure said:
If TV licence fees is not a tax to the government and then used to fund BBC which is paid out by a government body I'll eat my hat.
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The UK government does not set the level of the fee, nor does it collect the fee. The license fee is not a Tax. By the way, hats can be quite tasty
 
A few years ago I worked in a factory that had mandatory overtime and the average work week was close to 50 hours. I live in the US. Where is my documentary?

PS. I'm no Apple fanboy or apologist, look at my post history for proof.
 
fedup flyer said:
Some folks just don't understand the nuance between a fee and a tax.
Or so that is what the government tells us.
I'll be eating that same hat.

And

Some folks (IronDuke) haven't learned to separate fact from pure political conjecture and misdirection.
Once they, graduate college (university in limey speak) then get a REAL job, maybe they will open their eyes.



If it pays like a tax and spends like a tax......then by Jove....it must be a tax.
Fee my a$$.
Click to expand...


No you have no idea t learnt anything from college you are so far off the mark with the bbc try expanding your mind instead of acting like a xenophobic troll
 
vanzantapple said:
A few years ago I worked in a factory that had mandatory overtime and the average work week was close to 50 hours. I live in the US. Where is my documentary?
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Once again, it's not merely about working overtime. It's about working overtime in unsafe conditions and not being compensated for it.

I guarantee if you worked over 50 hours a week, breathing in harmful chemicals the whole while, and only got $10 on your paycheck, I doubt you'd be too happy about it.

And of course everyone always says "well, they always have the option to leave", think of this. These people are willingly working in these conditions for that small amount of money. Chances are better than good that this is the best they can get, and the little money they receive is the only thing keeping them from starving to death.
 
fedup flyer said:
Some folks just don't understand the nuance between a fee and a tax.
Or so that is what the government tells us.
I'll be eating that same hat.

And

Some folks (IronDuke) haven't learned to separate fact from pure political conjecture and misdirection.
Once they, graduate college (university in limey speak) then get a REAL job, maybe they will open their eyes.



If it pays like a tax and spends like a tax......then by Jove....it must be a tax.
Fee my a$$.
Click to expand...

If you have graduated from college then you should know the difference between a tax and a fee. Even with your own quote, a) it doesn't get collected like a tax and b)quite frankly it doesn't get spent like a tax.
 
BBC Documentary Claims Apple Fails to Protect Chinese Factory Workers

sualpine said:
So instead of presenting these findings to Apple and actually trying to improve the situation, they are going to capitalize on it by making a "documentary" for more $$$? Disgusting.
Click to expand...

I watched the documentary and the BBC did try and present their findings to Apple but they declined the interview as the Film crew and journalists were in their company lobby. And I believe after a scheduled interview was set up. Also the BBC don't produce documentaries for profit, they don't even have ad breaks on their channels because we pay a license fee.

In regard to the documentary yes it was shocking and there is definitely a large shake up needed. However this is manufacturing in China and Apple is not alone with their practises. My company and my wife's company employ staff in China to manufacture products and you can only go by what your auditors tell you and more often than not all laws are being obeyed during inspections.

I have to laugh when people say Apple are there to exploit. Of course they are! All companies that choose to manufacture in China are there to exploit because it's cheaper labour. If they were not, everything would be produced in the country where it was designed. This documentary proven nothing we didn't already know. It wasn't a biased account either, just missing the broader picture IMO.
 
kettle said:
Yes, but the BBC do sell productions for profit - so again - you are a person nuancing a statement to fit an agenda.
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If you can give us one single example of the BBC selling any media based on a Panorama report, I'd be very interested?

Stuff like Only Fools and Horses, Red Dwarf, Top Gear and the amazing work by the likes of Brian Cox and David Attenborough have their place in the world of sales but I can't for the life of me ever recall seeing a Panorama DVD/Blu-ray Box set pushed out by the BBC.
 
It's amasing how many of you are willing to jump onto Apples side instantly.

It's simple, is it acceptable for a worker manufacturing an apple product to be mistreated in any way or form ?

No it's not, apple went public stating they do more than any other company and mad a huge deal about it, they opened them selvs up for this , have they done some stuff, yes it would have been far worse if they had not but is it good enough ? No

Just because they are a contractor it does not mean they get to wash their hands of the behavior.

Apple could solve this very simply by putting their own management teams from the us in to run the factory, the cost of this would be tiny however they wont do it because they know production would take a huge hit.

It's simply a case that apple like all other company's puts its interests first, what's caught them out is they have publicly stated they don't.

I love Apple but they asked for this.
 
nerdAFK said:
WOW, instead of facing the fact that these Chinese people are OBVIOUSLY in a terrible working condition, so many of you are blaming BBC.

Of course it's not just Apple's fault, the Communist Party has long been the biggest tumor in China.

But blaming BBC? Seriously?
Unpaid interns at BBC? Nice imagination.
BBC not helping, are you??? You did not even mention those workers.

This world is really sick. Shame on you.
Click to expand...

Who's blaming the BBC what we are saying it is rubbish what they are reporting twisting the problem onto Apple. Simple to all that don't like China's working arrangement with Apple don't buy Apple products or head over to China and protest.
 
If this is true, then its slave labor....

I would work 12 or 18 hours, regardless how much a value my job....

All we think of money, and we loose ourselves to the limits we can do..

It's a shame.

If it's just the hours there, then that's probably fine and BBC just went over board.
 
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