Briefing: Apple investigates illegal student labour at supplier’s Chongqing plant

Apple investigates illegal student labour at Watch assembly plant – Financial Times

What happened: Apple has launched an investigation after a workers’ rights group alleged that one of Apple’s suppliers, Taiwan-based Quanta Computer, was illegally employing students to assemble Apple Watches at its Chongqing factory. The “student interns” said they often worked overtime and night shifts, in violation of Chinese law.

Why it’s important: As companies struggle to keep cost low while wages rise, using illegal student labor has become an increasingly common practice in China’s factories. Suppliers of the Silicon Valley company are often under great strain to meet the demands of new Apple products, which usually launch in October. Chinese authorities have tightened regulations on the use of labors and work conditions in recent years. In June, Foxconn, a Taiwanese supplier for Apple and Amazon, was criticized for the harsh working conditions at one of its China factories.

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