Hong Kong-Based Apple Supplier Biel Crystal Accused of Workers Rights Violations

[MacRumors]

Hong Kong-based nonprofit Students & Scholars Against Corporate Misbehaviour (SACOM) has brought forth allegations (via Reuters) of major labor issues at Chinese factories belonging to Biel Crystal, a Hong-Kong based display supplier to Apple.

The workers rights group accuses the company of labor violations, such as forced 11-hour shifts, seven days a week, with only one day off each each month. Other accusations include the inadequate compensation to workers when they are injured, with employees reportedly required to sign blank contracts. The report also states that five workers at a company factory have committed suicide since 2011.

Apple also commented on the new accusations towards Biel Crystal:

"We insist that our suppliers provide safe working conditions, treat workers with dignity and respect, and use environmentally responsible manufacturing processes wherever Apple products are made," Apple said in a statement sent to Reuters in response to the SACOM report.

Biel Crystal employs more than 60,000 workers and has two factories in the Chinese provinces of Guangdong and Shenzhen. The new accusations also come after a number of alleged labor violations at Apple suppliers earlier this year, including reported workers rights issues at iPhone 5c supplier Jabil Circuit and primary supplier Pegatron. Apple also later issued a statement on the labor controversies surrounding Jabil Circuit, pledging to investigate.

Apple announced in July that it was forming an academic advisory board for its Supplier Responsibility program, saying that it wanted to ensure "safe and ethical working conditions wherever its products are made." Apple has also published Supplier Responsibility Progress Reports every year since 2007, tracking the ethical progress of its suppliers in order to bring transparency to its product manufacturing process.


Article Link: Hong Kong-Based Apple Supplier Biel Crystal Accused of Workers Rights Violations

 

[gnasher729]

Do the factories mentioned actually produce things for Apple? If yes, how many of those 60,000 employees work on products made for Apple, and how many work on products made for other companies? Who are the other companies?

There have been reportedly 5 suicides of employees since 2011. The population of the USA is about 5,000 times the number of Biel employees. Have there been more or fewer than 25,000 suicides in the USA since 2011? (Answer: About 40,000 per year). Did these suicides have anything to do with being employed at the company? Did they have anything to do with working on products for Apple?

 

[happywaiman]

As a Hong Kong student, I just want to say: "Please annoy these attention w___e" (For give me language, but they are. )
They can't have sex in dorm, they don't have homework to do, so they try to get attention from anywhere they can find.
They don't care the truth, they don't do fact check, they just drop a claim in media and wait the media chase its tail. They are worse than Fox News.
(We have a "kidnap" happen at Saturday, by Sunday at least 70% people believe this is for human trafficking, so media suggest kick Chinese people out, but it turns out the mum possibly hides the baby.
And we almost shut down because four media w___e try to get donation.
Cry baby has become the new Hong Kong culture. )

 

[winston1236]

As a Hong Kong student, I just want to say: "Please annoy these attention w___e" (For give me language, but they are. )
They can't have sex in dorm, they don't have homework to do, so they try to get attention from anywhere they can find.
They don't care the truth, they don't do fact check, they just drop a claim in media and wait the media chase its tail. They are worse than Fox News.
(We have a "kidnap" happen at Saturday, by Sunday at least 70% people believe this is for human trafficking, so media suggest kick Chinese people out, but it turns out the mum possibly hides the baby.
And we almost shut down because four media w___e try to get donation.
Cry baby has become the new Hong Kong culture. )

Does Hong Kong student mean an employee trolling the internet for stories about your company to comment on?

 

[hogo]

Meanwhile Samsung makes its products out of people...

 

[Bubba Satori]

Meanwhile Samsung makes its products out of people...

Hi Phil.

 

[Klae17]

11-hour shifts, seven days a week, with only one day off each each month. Other accusations include the inadequate compensation to workers when they are injured....

Job description of a factory worker and a startup company.

 

[flottenheimer]

Not exactly the kind of 'Apple Display' news I was hoping for.

I wonder how much of Apples production will ultimately be moved outside of Asia. Made in The USA (or Europe) sounds more and more appealing to me.

Now, where is that 27-inch non-retina Apple Thunderbolt Display in a new slim design? I've been waiting for more than a year now. Come on Apple, 50.000+ employees should be able to deliver.

 

[everything-i]

Surely this is an issue for the Hong Kong authorities to deal with. If a company is breaking the law in its treatment of employees then the authorities need to sort it out, Apple is not a law enforcement agency and already does more than most other corporates to try and stamp out these types of practices.

 

[Poisonivy326]

As a Hong Kong student, I just want to say: "Please annoy these attention w___e" (For give me language, but they are. )
They can't have sex in dorm, they don't have homework to do, so they try to get attention from anywhere they can find.
They don't care the truth, they don't do fact check, they just drop a claim in media and wait the media chase its tail. They are worse than Fox News.
(We have a "kidnap" happen at Saturday, by Sunday at least 70% people believe this is for human trafficking, so media suggest kick Chinese people out, but it turns out the mum possibly hides the baby.
And we almost shut down because four media w___e try to get donation.
Cry baby has become the new Hong Kong culture. )

Ok forgive me for asking but: you say they can't have sex in dorms, so they try to get attention. Isn't the fact that their lives are so tightly controlled that they can't fraternize among their peers in a factory a sign of labor violations?

 

[Gav2k]

News like this bores me! Apple does not own any of these factories it's just a big name they can throw in the mix.

 

[Thunderhawks]

[url=http://cdn.macrumors.com/im/macrumorsthreadlogodarkd.png]Image[/url]

Image​

Hong Kong-based nonprofit Students & Scholars Against Corporate Misbehaviour (SACOM) has brought forth allegations (via Reuters) of major labor issues at Chinese factories belonging to Biel Crystal, a Hong-Kong based display supplier to Apple.

The workers rights group accuses the company of labor violations, such as forced 11-hour shifts, seven days a week, with only one day off each each month. Other accusations include the inadequate compensation to workers when they are injured, with employees reportedly required to sign blank contracts. The report also states that five workers at a company factory have committed suicide since 2011.

Apple also commented on the new accusations towards Biel Crystal: Biel Crystal employs more than 60,000 workers and has two factories in the Chinese provinces of Guangdong and Shenzhen. The new accusations also come after a number of alleged labor violations at Apple suppliers earlier this year, including reported workers rights issues at iPhone 5c supplier Jabil Circuit and primary supplier Pegatron. Apple also later issued a statement on the labor controversies surrounding Jabil Circuit, pledging to investigate.

Apple announced in July that it was forming an academic advisory board for its Supplier Responsibility program, saying that it wanted to ensure "safe and ethical working conditions wherever its products are made." Apple has also published Supplier Responsibility Progress Reports every year since 2007, tracking the ethical progress of its suppliers in order to bring transparency to its product manufacturing process.


Article Link: Hong Kong-Based Apple Supplier Biel Crystal Accused of Workers Rights Violations

Nothing new here really and if it wasn't Apple it wouldn't get the same publicity.

Can't imagine anybody to get excited about:

Dell factory workers abused
Acer supplier accused of workers right violations.

Would be interesting to get more details and facts, rather than the generalizations the media likes to publish.

Obviously since the first reports Apple has been watching this more and taken (and is taking) action.

In other news: Factory work on assembly lines is not fun!

 

[snowmoon]

Breaking News..

An employee of a company that might have recently done business with an Apple supplier is accused of torturing puppies for fun.

 

[Sv3n]

Apple also commented on the new accusations towards Biel Crystal: Biel Crystal employs more than 60,000 workers and has two factories in the Chinese provinces of Guangdong and Shenzhen.

Shenzhen is a city in Guangdong Province. I believe they meant to say: Biel Crystal employs more than 60,000 workers and has two factories in the Chinese cities of Guangzhou and Shenzhen, both located in Guangdong Province.

 

[Drunken Master]

This just in: the luxuries of the privileged classes throughout history built upon the broken backs and toil of exploited slaves.

 

[gixxerfool]

So now Apple is in charge of fixing companies they don't own, but other companies use as well? Where's the accountability on other customer's part? This isn't an Apple issue exclusively, if at all.

 

[theosib]

Human rights violations perpetuated by China and the big corps

We know that this kind of abuse is endemic in China. Some companies, like Foxconn, have had to change things because they’ve gotten too much bad press. But all others go unnoticed.

But knowing this, US companies still have things made in China, and we keep buying the products. Of course, it’s probably cheaper for Apple to keep breathing down Foxconn’s neck than to use a manufacturer in a country that enforces laborer rights.

Sometimes I think the Chinese government, with their lax rules and lax enforcement of labor laws, really wants us to think of Chinese people as inferior, disposable slave drones. Or that’s just how the Chinese commoner is thought of by their own government, so it’s no big deal if other people start thinking the same way.

I've had many Chinese friends, as classmates, students, and co-workers. Like every other group of humans on the planet, they have their share of smart people and dumb people. If anything, it’s the greedy, protectionist, dictatorial Chinese government that’s inferior.

But then again, countries like the US have had a lot longer to grow out of their slavery phase. We used to enslave Africans. And Africans haven’t been the only ones discriminated against; you don’t know your history well if you don’t know how the Irish were treated in the US. We got to grow out of that without other countries looking over our shoulders, while China is still trying to get out of the dark ages without the “benefit” of going through the same stages of progress that the West did. And look at how great we’re doing in the US, with an economy on the verge of total collapse. Are we so superior?

 

[Rogifan]

Is this company a supplier to only Apple? Or is this another case of the media using Apple in their headlines to generate page views?

 

[mknopp]

Do the factories mentioned actually produce things for Apple? If yes, how many of those 60,000 employees work on products made for Apple, and how many work on products made for other companies? Who are the other companies?

There have been reportedly 5 suicides of employees since 2011. The population of the USA is about 5,000 times the number of Biel employees. Have there been more or fewer than 25,000 suicides in the USA since 2011? (Answer: About 40,000 per year). Did these suicides have anything to do with being employed at the company? Did they have anything to do with working on products for Apple?

Don't bother the masses with actual facts and accuracy.

11-hour shifts, seven days a week, with only one day off each each month. Other accusations include the inadequate compensation to workers when they are injured....

Job description of a factory worker and a startup company.

That is about what I was thinking as I read this. The fact that these are labor violations in Hong Kong means that they are a better country to work in than the US.

Ok forgive me for asking but: you say they can't have sex in dorms, so they try to get attention. Isn't the fact that their lives are so tightly controlled that they can't fraternize among their peers in a factory a sign of labor violations?

I believe that there is some confusion. He is stating that the students which are part of this SACOM organization, cannot have sex in their dorms, not the factory workers.

 

[IbisDoc]

So now Apple is in charge of fixing companies they don't own, but other companies use as well? Where's the accountability on other customer's part? This isn't an Apple issue exclusively, if at all.

That's a straw man argument. It's not about Apple being in charge of fixing. As the industry leader, which they celebrate at almost every opportunity, they SHOULDN'T BE DOING BUSINESS with these types of companies.

Of course, we all know if the employees were fighting for marriage equality, Apple would be ALL over it. That's a much more important issue that exploitation of work forces.

 

[gixxerfool]

That's a straw man argument. It's not about Apple being in charge of fixing. As the industry leader, which they celebrate at almost every opportunity, they SHOULDN'T BE DOING BUSINESS with these types of companies.

Of course, we all know if the employees were fighting for marriage equality, Apple would be ALL over it. That's a much more important issue that exploitation of work forces.

If that's the case, why bother mentioning Apple at all? Fact is, they stepped in at Foxconn, now they're expected to fix all the problems.

 

[IbisDoc]

If that's the case, why bother mentioning Apple at all? Fact is, they stepped in at Foxconn, now they're expected to fix all the problems.

I recommend that they speak the only language that Apple and the defenders of all things Apple understand:

If they could avoid the cost of installation and maintenance of suicide nets (by no longer exploiting third world labor), Apple could further boost its profit margin. That should get Tim Cook fairly excited.

 

[hamkor04]

not only China or Apple

there is in UK high street giants uses factories in Bangladesh and other poorest countries around the world.

It's ok to manufacture goods in other countries to keep prices competitive (or more profit)

if you have little interest for humanity, have look and share your thoughts. those people get paid £2.5 ($4) for 16-19 hour shift.

http://www.labourbehindthelabel.org...ver-80-workers-primark-and-mango-labels-found

http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/articles/5...rge-bangladesh-garment-factory-fire-dhaka.htm

U.S Retailers Decline to Aid Victims in Bangladesh

I'm sure there is literally hound reds of fatal accidents in China, Africa and other south Asian countries.

do we ignore other people lives to get our neat sewed garments or latest iPhone

 

[numlock]

Do the factories mentioned actually produce things for Apple? If yes, how many of those 60,000 employees work on products made for Apple, and how many work on products made for other companies? Who are the other companies?

There have been reportedly 5 suicides of employees since 2011. The population of the USA is about 5,000 times the number of Biel employees. Have there been more or fewer than 25,000 suicides in the USA since 2011? (Answer: About 40,000 per year). Did these suicides have anything to do with being employed at the company? Did they have anything to do with working on products for Apple?

nobody is saying that people are killing themselves right after working on the production of apple products. its regarding what companies apple does business with and the possible cost of that.

you are also cherry picking from that second paragraph.

and then there is the hypocrisy of wanting to be the best, most loved and most popular but not wanting to bear any social responsibility. this is greed and hypocrisy at its worst.

loving the ipad or mac os dosent mean people have to bend over backwards to try and excuse everything. rather we should be looking at what they pope just said and this line

Yes, 'n' how many times can a man turn his head,
Pretending he just doesn't see?

 

[gnasher729]

I recommend that they speak the only language that Apple and the defenders of all things Apple understand:

If they could avoid the cost of installation and maintenance of suicide nets (by no longer exploiting third world labor), Apple could further boost its profit margin. That should get Tim Cook fairly excited.

What a ********* up mindset.

If you bothered to get your self just a slightly bit informed, you would know that the suicide rate in the USA is about four times higher than the suicide rate among for example Foxconn employees.

And if you could be bothered to turn your brain on, you would probably figure out yourself that working conditions are by far not the only reason why someone would commit suicide. There are much more important causes; first mental illness, then things like your social life (dumped by the partner), stress through unemployment seems quite strong.

But here's where your comments are really annoying: At Foxconn, people killed themselves by jumping off the roof. That's because people don't carry guns in China, they don't have space where they can take sleeping tablets or poison and stay undetected until they die, they use what's available. And between Foxconn and Apple, they figured out a way to reduce the number of deaths. The method (putting up nets) is of course heaven for trolls who love to rant about Apple. So here's a choice: 1. Save lives and get trolled. 2. Don't save lives and wait that people shut up.

It clearly demonstrates that both for Foxconn and Apple, people's lives are much more important than avoiding being trolled.

----------

nobody is saying people killing themselves right after working on the production of apple products. its regarding what companies apple does business with and the possible cost of that.

you are also cherry picking from that second paragraph.

and then there is the hypocrisy of wanting to be the best, most loved and most popular but not wanting to bear any social responsibility. this is greed and hypocrisy at its worst.

loving the ipad or mac os dosent mean people have to bend over backwards to try and excuse everything

You have really not a clue what you are talking about.

"Nobody is saying people killing themselves right after working on the production of apple products". But of course that is _exactly_ what the article wants you to believe. Otherwise, why is Apple even mentioned?

"and then there is the hypocrisy of wanting to be the best, most loved and most popular but not wanting to bear any social responsibility. " Totally wrong. You just have to go to Apple's website, where since 2007 they have published what they have done to improve working conditions, year after year after year.