Apple says Foxconn allowed high school students to work illegal overtime to assemble iPhone...

Shawn Knight

Posts: 15,240   +192
Staff member

Apple in a recent audit of its overseas manufacturing partners found that Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., part of Taiwan’s Foxconn Technology Group and the exclusive assembler of the iPhone X, employed high school students that worked for more hours than local laws permit.

Foxconn states that it doesn’t allow interns to work more than 40 hours per week on “program-related assignments.” However, in this instance, it admits that some interns did work overtime in violation of the policy although they were compensated appropriately and the work was “voluntary.”

More than half of Hon Hai’s sales come from Apple.

The Cupertino-based company launched its iPhone X on November 3. The device, which was met with heavy demand and reportedly plagued by manufacturing setbacks, arrived more than seven weeks after the launch of the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus.

According to the Financial Times (via Bloomberg), the students worked at the factory as part of a three-month “work experience” stint that was required to graduate. Half a dozen students told the publication they regularly worked 11-hour days building the iPhone X.

Having high school students working overtime to build a handset that was reportedly hampered by production delays certainly doesn’t look good. It’s even more concerning in the case of Apple as the company has grappled with overseas labor issues for years.

Li Qiang, founder of New York-based advocacy group China Labor Watch, tells Bloomberg that ultimately, it’s about production needs. Based on Apple’s actions, Qiang said, it seems like they don’t care about the labor standards they set previously.

Apple said it took prompt action when it found out about the matter.

Permalink to story.

 
The work was voluntary and students were compensated appropriately

Maybe I'm alone here, but considering this, who gives a ****? Let the kids make some extra money. You ever have your Dad, or Grandpa tell you stories about how much they worked? lmao

"This is nothing, back in my day we use to work 20 hours a day in 12 foot of snow!"

The amount of snow does seem to grow every year, somehow....
 
The work was voluntary and students were compensated appropriately

Maybe I'm alone here, but considering this, who gives a ****? Let the kids make some extra money. You ever have your Dad, or Grandpa tell you stories about how much they worked? lmao

"This is nothing, back in my day we use to work 20 hours a day in 12 foot of snow!"

The amount of snow does seem to grow every year, somehow....

The difference is that your gramps was an American, building products for American companies who kept most of the money - you gussed it - in America.
 
The work was voluntary and students were compensated appropriately

Maybe I'm alone here, but considering this, who gives a ****? Let the kids make some extra money. You ever have your Dad, or Grandpa tell you stories about how much they worked? lmao

"This is nothing, back in my day we use to work 20 hours a day in 12 foot of snow!"

The amount of snow does seem to grow every year, somehow....

While I do agree with your sentiment, the labor laws are still there for a reason. If they were "of age", I.e. 18 in the US, then I wouldn't blink an eye. The main reason why I would even care at all is because we're dealing with China labor here, who hasn't had a good track record in the history of forever when it comes to treating their employees right.

Foxconn stating that it was voluntary could be the truth, could be a lie. Those students could have been compensated in ways that aren't the norm, or not at all. But they're kids all in all. And it's China.
 
"According to the Financial Times (via Bloomberg), the students worked at the factory as part of a three-month “work experience” stint that was required to graduate."

Imagine if American kids had to do this. I think we'd see a lot fewer drug addicts and masked firebombing anarchists. Of course one could argue that this practice is tantamount to the Chinese government providing indentured servants to mostly state-run companies, and one would be correct..but the end result is *still* a more disciplined and prepared workforce. It would really need to be voluntary in the US but the smart kids would jump at the chance for a guaranteed part-time job that might become full-time after graduation. Even if it doesn't you have a huge leg up on the competition. Colleges have supported these kinds of programs for generations - why not start them in 11th grade? TBH its such a solid idea I bet its already happening somewhere in the country.
 
No one cares except the overly sensitive lazy people in this country. People there are happy to work 14 hour shifts so they could help out the family. We are hurting them by putting this on the news and making them look like victims when they actually wished we would mind our own business.
 
The work was voluntary and students were compensated appropriately

Maybe I'm alone here, but considering this, who gives a ****? Let the kids make some extra money. You ever have your Dad, or Grandpa tell you stories about how much they worked? lmao

"This is nothing, back in my day we use to work 20 hours a day in 12 foot of snow!"

The amount of snow does seem to grow every year, somehow....


Uphill, both ways
 
13.jpg


3f8072a194b937992b1556799355aaaf.jpg
 
Last edited:
No one cares except the overly sensitive lazy people in this country. People there are happy to work 14 hour shifts so they could help out the family. We are hurting them by putting this on the news and making them look like victims when they actually wished we would mind our own business.
I suspect this is actually the truth in this case. Now overtime is over and there are a lot of upset high school students and their families who were looking for a little more money
 
"According to the Financial Times (via Bloomberg), the students worked at the factory as part of a three-month “work experience” stint that was required to graduate."

Imagine if American kids had to do this. I think we'd see a lot fewer drug addicts and masked firebombing anarchists. Of course one could argue that this practice is tantamount to the Chinese government providing indentured servants to mostly state-run companies, and one would be correct..but the end result is *still* a more disciplined and prepared workforce. It would really need to be voluntary in the US but the smart kids would jump at the chance for a guaranteed part-time job that might become full-time after graduation. Even if it doesn't you have a huge leg up on the competition. Colleges have supported these kinds of programs for generations - why not start them in 11th grade? TBH its such a solid idea I bet its already happening somewhere in the country.

It is not just labor rights that took assembly jobs from the US. Much higher salary and environmental laws did that too.
 
Back