Apple factory awaits moment of truth on TV
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.The publicity surrounding the assembly lines in China where Apple devices are constructed by workers paid so little they do not get deducted tax has been described as the computer world's "Nike moment".
Foxconn has now allowed in cameras to see workers assembling devices such as iPads. One executive said: "You being here is part of the openness, part of the learning, part of the change that Foxconn is undergoing." Since the low wage levels were highlighted in The Independent and other media the company has decided to raise them by an average of 25 per cent, but Apple has already faced widespread criticism. However, there are hopes the exposure will result in extensive improvements in conditions.
"We call it the 'Nike moment' in the industry," Ines Kaempfer, of the Fair Labor Association, told ABC. "There was a moment for Nike in the '90s, when they got a lot of publicity; negative publicity. It's probably like Apple. They're not necessarily the worst, it's just that the publicity is starting to build up. And there was just this moment when they just started to do something about it. And I think that's what happened for Apple."
The average starting salary at the factory of less than £1 an hour meant workers could do 80 hours overtime and still not earn enough to reach the minimum tax bracket.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments