According to an undercover report that was recently released by China Labor Watch and Green America, the Catcher-owned facility in Suqian, China is being accused of labor violations. The report states that workers in the plant are subjected to discriminatory hiring policies, forced to handle toxic materials without the proper protective gear and also forced to work excessive overtime to manufacture parts for Apple’s next-gen iPad Air.
Overall, there have been 22 complaints which touch upon every area of factory operations from environmental and occupational safety to living conditions and wages. Catcher is being accused of discriminating against its potential hires by capping a recruitment age limit to 46 and refusing to hire people with tattoos. The report mentions that men are forced to remove their shirts to prove that they haven’t had any body modifications as well. Furthermore, the firm has been accused of forcing workers to lie on documentation stating that they have received safety training, despite receiving no training or inadequate training.
Other violations include locked fire exits and windows, areas with flammable magnesium-alloy dust and pouring industrial waste directly into local sewers. According to the two labor rights groups, Catcher not only violate Apple’s supplier code of conduct but also disobeyed Chinese labor laws and the manufacturer’s internal policies. Furthermore, it’s the second time in two years that the Suqian plant has been found violating several rules and regulations.
An Apple spokesperson stated that the Cupertino California company has “found some concrete areas for improvement in Catcher’s operations” during its most recent audit and “worked with Catcher to develop a corrective action plan” this past May. We’ll have to wait and see what ends up happening next as a result of this undercover report surfacing.
Source: Green America via The New York Times
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