tzeshan

wizard69 said:

Apple needs to be held accountable here.   It’s bad enough that they are using slave labor in China, that will not be tolerated in a freer country like India.  Beyond that the wages highlight just how low Apple will go to enhance margins.   Exploitation is exactly that no matter how much you try to distance yourself.    I really don’t think Cook grasps how bad his behavior is in this regard.  

thrang said:

While I understand that Wistron is responsible here, Apple does not look good with what appears to be a lack of oversight, especially of a newer operation. 

Unless Wistron was cooking numbers that Apple reviewed. But I would think the would have a large team of inspectors to independently and directly verify compliance with their contract standards.

Beats said:

eriamjh said:

If you don’t pay your workers, they might get mad.  Angry, even.  

Apple is probably pretty mad at Wistron.  

THIS. This is all that matters. These are not Apple employees. Wistron has a contract to fill and if they can't do it because they treat their employees like sh** Apple should sue the company for loss of production which in turn hurt Apple's sales and marketshare.

Of course the media will find a way to blame Apple for this and twist headlines into something like "Employees contracted by Apple are not being paid".

JWSC said:

crowley said:

lkrupp said:

I agree. Apple should tone down the virtue signaling about human rights, privacy and security. It makes them look very hypocritical at best. 

That's your take?  I'd say Apple should ensure their suppliers pay their workers what they promise them and sever relations with those that don't, but sure, it's the optics that are the problem here.

That’s a little tough to do when Apple’s supply chain managers have been tasked with bargaining down major subcontractors to get the best price per unit.  Apple has enormous bargaining power and influence due to their sheer size and they have not been shy about using it ruthlessly in negotiations.

Apple has been busy ramping up virtue signaling over environmental concerns and worker’s rights over the past decade.  But it’s hard to stay focused on that when the leadership is surrounded by a 21st century glass-walled office working environment that is far out of sight of everyday working conditions many thousands of miles away.

Apple Park, a triumph of architecture, engineering and productive office working space, never considered the manufacturing environment, not even as an afterthought.  That tells us all we need to know about their thought processes and priorities in the whole lifecycle chain of Apple products.