iPhone 12 Production Lines at Foxconn's Zhengzhou Factory in China Running '24 Hours a Day'

[TiggrToo]

And yet, so many people support socialist policies here in the US that would lead to exactly the thing they're complaining about happening in China......

It already is happening. Look at the gig economy for starters...

In fact, the US is awful for workers with no law requiring companies to offer PTO or sick time.

Socialism type concepts would help fix that. Or you OK with workers having no legal right to PTO or sick time?

 

[imlynxy]

Apple's main iPhone manufacturer in China is said to be cancelling workers' holidays and introducing mandatory overtime with additional bonuses for longer-serving staff, according to information garnered from employees, recruitment ads, and local media.

This is sad and should be discouraged for humanistic reasons. It is not like Apple’s existing hardware range is lacking in any area. Does it really matter if we get a new iPhone in October, November, December or January? We can wait another few months, especially if we know it might significantly reduce someone else’s suffering.

When you said “we”, please do not include me.

 

[matrix07]

Or maybe it comes from people living in countries more advanced in this regard. I hold a good position (management but not leadership level) at a multi billion euro tech/communications company in the EU. While I often have to work overtime (more or less manditory too), I still get 30 days of paid holidays guaranteed plus 10 additional unpaid optionally plus unlimited sick days that are not deducted from my holidays. Additionally, we have public holidays of course.

What I am saying is that the USA may not be the best standard in this regard

Is this the reason Europe doesn’t have as big tech company as Microsoft, Apple or Google? Just imagine the first MacIntosh team had this kind of holidays the first Mac would be released in 1995 instead of 1984. 😉

 

[imlynxy]

I do not expect high quality of the upcoming phones.

 

[matrix07]

24 hours a day? Something about that doesn’t sit right with me. A rushed production schedule leaves lots of room for mistakes in the quality department. I’m going to be very upset if my 12 has dust in the cameras or chips on the body. And if it does then I already know the reason behind it.

How do you think Apple made 20+ millions iPhone 6/6s in a couple of months, or iPhone X?

 

[Cosmosent]

NOT sure why, but the Back Wide AND/OR Back Tele image sensor could get an Upgrade / Change.

Also, at least on the two "Pro" models, the DRAM should get an Upgrade to LPDDR5 !

 

[I7guy]

Mandatory overtime and cancelling vacations which is meant to give you a break to refresh and enjoy life makes me feel sick. And at the end of the day, „independent“ investigators report good and ample conditions.

Who is to say the conditions aren't anything but "good and ample". At times it's all hands on deck, not a new phenomenon. Sounds like overtime pay is meant to help soften the blow. That's something that's always given when the conditions aren't "good and ample"...right?

I hope the line '...stays for at least 90 days' is not what the Chinese consider 'longer serving staff' because If that is the case then it shows why companies use China for their manufacturing. Treat the workers like crap and if they leave they know there is an abundance of people who will fill that spot. Not so easy to do in the West, hence why they have to treat workers better because if the worker leaves the company struggles to find decent replacements. Not so in China.

Well, at least when someone shows off their new shinny iphone 12, that person can be rest assured that it was made by a respondant and resourceful workforce that was made to force to work 24hrs a day without any holidays and mandatory overtime. Wont you be so happy that Apple treats it's manufacturing workers so well.

Maybe you're not aware, but it's common practice, although it's tough on the individual, when crunch time happens, to cancel all vacations during the crunch time and ask employees to move them to another time. Some companies reward that type of loyalty and Foxconn through the use of financial incentives, seems to be doing just that. So kudos to them.

 

[IIGS User]

Get crack-a-lackin'. I want one of those 12's in dark blue...

 

[citysnaps]

Loving all of the very adorable moans-n-whines about mean Apple!

And very much looking forward to purchasing an iPhone 12.

 

[simonmet]

I hope the people working graveyard shifts get a significant bonus.

 

[Hankkk]

The American economy is the strongest in the world. “More advanced” might just mean you’re comfortable with lower productivity and less GDP. Love us or hate us, we know how to make money. I’m not saying it’s the right answer either...but it’s the reason.

Turn off the news. America is a fantastic place to live.

I work a corporate job at one of the biggest companies in the world and I get 25 days off plus holidays. But I work hard at work.

I didn't say that the American economy was weak. I am just saying that there are other countries in the world (some of which have even higher per capita GDPs) that have higher standards in personal and social coverage. I have lived in the USA and love many aspects of this country. But that doesn't mean that there aren't other countries that have even higher standards in one regard or another - and the ranking of these countries on the world happiness report seems to support that this can definitely make a difference.

 

[Hankkk]

Is this the reason Europe doesn’t have as big tech company as Microsoft, Apple or Google? Just imagine the first MacIntosh team had this kind of holidays the first Mac would be released in 1995 instead of 1984. 😉

No, I think there are different reasons for that.

 

[realeric]

Jesus. You guys in the US laugh at the Chinese workers... while you don't have jobs and are doing drug in streets with COVID-19. The Chinese have tens of trillion dollar cash in banks vs the US have 30 trillion dollar debt. Slave vs Beggar.

 

[Hankkk]

And I am not sure why this suddenly turns into an argument on USA vs. EU or whatever part of the world, that was never my intention. All I wanted to say is that the practices as mentioned in the article may seem more "shocking" to some people than others could be that other countries have different regulations and practices when it comes to work environments

 

[GeoStructural]

Man, I hate rumours!

So you come to this website to get triggered?

I love rumors, by the way.

 

[femike]

I hope Apple makes sure they are working 8 hr shifts, not 10 or 12.
Unfortunately, that's highly unlikely as neither Apple or the US Gov nor Foxconn or the Chinese Gov cares.

 

[Black Magic]

While I'm not looking to upgrade this year, I do like the design of the new phones (if rumors hold true) and the blue color option. Very intriguing!

 

[justperry]

It's in the Political News subforum, so the PRSI rules generally apply.

It wasn't before, MR changed it because there where too many political comments, I reported this.

 

[justperry]

I wish Apple would invest more into automation. They already have a robot that can take these phones apart, it should be possible to make machines that can assemble them together. That repetitive and mundane task of assembly is exactly what machines are meant to do. People can instead build and service these machines, that would be far more rewarding work for them.

Months ago, if not (much) longer this was discussed in another thread, try inventing a machine that can handle sub millimeter screws with the right angle and mNM (mNewtonmeters ), it's a lot harder than you think.
I bet ya a human can do this faster (Touch-feeling) than a robot, that is, if a robot is even going to able to (see above).

 

[Rocko99991]

Working through holidays and canceling vacations happens all the time here in the US, maybe it’s not common in your countries. There’s no guilt or shame in that, and no reason QC should suffer.

We call it “crunch time”.

We have slave labor here, unfortunately. Hopefully that will be eliminated in the near future.

Yep. When you have a yearly release of a product most plan vacations around this not during. There are evil things about China, this isn't one of them.

 

[topmounter]

Do Apple employees have to cancel their vacations and work mandatory overtime too?

 

[one more]

When you said “we”, please do not include me.

Would you really suffer if you had your new iPhone a few months later, knowing this delay could reduce suffering of another human(s) in China?

 

[Kevin2055]

You don't need to feel any bad for them. They are there to work overtime to earn more. If the factory don't allow them to work overtime, they will find another place to work.

Haha, a bonus of about *25-30 cents an hour.

Mandatory overtime, Hmmm.

*Yes..yes, I know, it's China/Asia, cost of living is much lower than here.
Actually now I think about it, 55 days is not much less than 3 months, so a bonus of more than ~$400 ain't that bad, but, do they also get hourly overtime paid, if not then that's a different case.

 

[I7guy]

Would you really suffer if you had your new iPhone a few months later, knowing this delay could reduce suffering of another human(s) in China?

Maybe with the overtime and whatever else, this additional remuneration is really reducing the suffering of humans in China that we don't know about. In other words, it's a blessing, not a curse.

 

[justperry]

You don't need to feel any bad for them. They are there to work overtime to earn more. If the factory don't allow them to work overtime, they will find another place to work.

I don't feel bad, I lived in Asia for over a decade, I know the cost of living in most of Asia.