"Apple Turned Blind Eye to Supplier Breaches of Chinese Labor Laws", 9 December 2020

[...] According to four former Apple employees familiar with its labor issues, Apple for years took no major action against its suppliers for violating the temp-worker labor law out of concerns it would create costs, drain resources and delay product launches. [...]

The former employees, as well as a review of internal Apple presentations and the company’s own data on factory hiring between 2013 and 2018, suggests that Apple’s strategy for managing its supply chain made it difficult for its three biggest contract manufacturers—Foxconn Technology, Quanta Computer and Pegatron—to remain compliant with the labor restrictions. [...]

The role of temporary workers is an increasingly contentious one in the tech industry. Google has been criticized for its treatment of contract staff, who now outnumber its full-time employees. Uber, Lyft, DoorDash and Instacart recently successfully banded together to fight California’s passage of a law requiring independent contractors such as drivers to be treated like permanent employees, receiving the same benefits. [...]

In 2014, Apple commissioned a two-year study with Pegatron to better understand worker churn. At the time, turnover at Pegatron was unusually high, especially between August and October due to its high use of student workers, many of whom went back to school each fall. The study showed that the average Pegatron worker stayed for just 68 days. [...]

In response to questions from The Information, Apple said in a statement that it is dedicated to ensuring everyone in its supply chain is treated with dignity and respect. “Workplace rights are human rights and our supplier code of conduct is the strongest in the industry, and it applies equally to everyone across our supply chain,” the statement said. “Occasionally factories use temporary labor, and we monitor this closely to ensure compliance with our code. Where we find issues we work closely with the supplier on corrective action plans.” [...]