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Article

11 May 2016

Author:
George Knowles, MailOnline (UK)

Inside the eerie deserted dorms where Apple iPhone workers lived eight to a room, showered in groups of 20 and even PAID for the privilege

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…[T]he four [dormitory] blocks…housed migrant workers employed by Apple contractor Pegatron until they were hurriedly abandoned just over eight weeks ago. Six thousand employees lived in the dormitories at the peak of iPhone 6 production…Paid basic salaries of just under £250 a month for gruelling six-day weeks which they can increase by about £200 by working daily overtime…[R]ooms with up to 12 bunk beds for which each worker would be charged the equivalent of £16 a month, deducted from their pay packets…There is…lack of privacy in shared toilet blocks on each floor …

…Apple referred MailOnline to a letter…in its Supplier Responsibility 2016 Progress Report, which states: 'At Apple, we are deeply committed to making sure everyone in our supply chain is treated with the dignity and respect they deserve…Our team works hard to raise the bar every year to improve working conditions…push for higher standards of living, and protect human rights…

Living conditions at the abandoned…dormitory block…were experienced first-hand by an undercover investigator for the pressure group China Labor Watch…

…Pegatron conceded the abandoned dorms' condition are 'not acceptable', adding: ‘…Photos seen from the report reflect dormitory buildings that have not housed Pegatron employees since February 2016…we have built new and modern dormitories on campus and continue renovating existing dormitory facilities…to provide a comfortable environment to our employees…A maximum of 8 employees per room are permitted in the dormitories and each sleeping room is equipped with fire control facilities…[W]e also systematically monitor our employees work hour to no more than 60 hours per weekly. Employees' health and safety has always been our number one mission…’