Workers At A Chinese Factory Are Shockingly Mistreated So You Can Have Your iPhone

It seems we haven’t yet left behind the days when poor Chinese workers were exploited to make expensive Apple devices.

An Apple components manufacturer in China has once more been flagged for inhumane factory conditions, according to a report by non-profit group China Labor Watch.

The report points a finger at working conditions in a Catcher Technology factory in Suqian, Jiangsu province. Catcher Technology manufactures products for Apple, including everything from iPhone casings to internal components. According to the report, workers stand for an average of 10 hours a day as they cut and treat iPhone casings. Not just that, they’re made to work without protective goggles and gloves, and even work without any protections against the harmful chemicals they’re exposed to in the process.

The workers are given paper masks, but the oil they use to cut the metal frames may still splash in their eyes, making them bloodshot over time. Their gloves are flimsy cotton things, which are worse than nothing as they end up soaking up the cutting fluid and causing skin irritations on worker’s hands after prolonged contact.

The report also talks about noise levels in the factory, with the work of cutting and blasting generating up to 80 decibels, which can lead to permanent damage after prolonged exposure. China Labor Watch also reported that workers often slip and fall, because the factory floor is covered in oil, and eating the canteen food caused multiple instances of diarrhoea.

For all of their mistreatment, the workers are paid a paltry base salary of $302.84 a month or approximately Rs 19,369. If that seems doable, remember that even everyday things like rent rates and groceries are about 70 to 80 percent more expensive in China. The wage works out to $1.38 an hour (approximately Rs 88) because workers are usually on site for about 55 hours a week. Workers are paid on the 5th of each month. If they resign before that however, they’re not paid their balance wages. 

And despite all the health issues and lack of safety measure, a worker at this factory isn’t offered health insurance until he or she’s been there for three months. Yet, many people still flock to the irregular jobs through hiring agencies in rural areas of China. They travel to the factory months before the holiday rush for new iPhones in order to earn marginally better wages than they would at home. And without any workers unions to speak of, they just have to accept circumstances as they are.

Apple, in a statement to Bloomberg, denies the report saying it had found no evidence of any violations when it audited the factory.