Cook responds to Apple contractor factory worker reports

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Mark Gurman for 9to5Mac, quoting from Tim Cook:

“As a company and as individuals, we are defined by our values. Unfortunately some people are questioning Apple’s values today, and I’d like to address this with you directly. We care about every worker in our worldwide supply chain.”

Apple PR hasn’t responded publicly to the New York Times’ recent allegations about Foxconn working conditions, and I don’t expect they will. I do believe that Cook and Apple PR knew full well this letter would find its way out the door, however.

Apple isn’t Foxconn’s only customer, just its highest profile one at the moment, thanks to the popularity of Apple’s products and its remarkable profits. Apple doesn’t have direct control either over the way Foxconn does business or Chinese fair labor standards. But we can hope that the company – along with many others – continues to use its influence as a major customer to positively affect working conditions there.

Also, it’s worth underscoring that Apple is much more transparent about the standards it employs for measuring supplier responsibility than many other consumer electronics makers.


  • Anonymous

    “Apple doesn’t have direct control either over the way Foxconn does business or Chinese fair labor standards. But we can hope that the company – along with many others – continues to use its influence as a major customer to positively affect working conditions there.”

    I think you’re selling Apple’s bargaining power here a bit short. Foxconn’s is in the business of getting manufacturing contracts from companies like Apple. Right now, it can provide abysmal working conditions and still get those contracts.  If Apple, large as it is, demanded better working conditions for the Foxconn workers as terms of its contract, and then actually made an effort to audit the working conditions and hold the company to the terms of its contract, conditions would get better at Foxconn quickly.  Apple hasn’t done this in a concerted way yet, either because it doesn’t care about the conditions (probably untrue) or because sweeping changes would be expensive (probably more true).

    Again, I’m an Apple fanboy through and through, and have been since the early 90s, but I really think the company could be doing much better on this. The fact that everybody else is doing it too isn’t an excuse. Apple should LEAD on this issue.

    • CowardTheAnonymous

      First, contracts usually are a multi-year ones, so it is hard to amend one “anytime”.
      Second, Foxconn knows very well that Apple has nowhere to turn over, so Apple’s negotiation position is not as excellent as you imply.

  • Anonymous

    I think Foxconn will be opening a plant in the US. Not sure if it’ll be more than a token or make Apple stuff, but like the Japanese car companies opening plants in the US it’ll be a good start.

    Unfortunately that will placate many americans without improving working conditions in China, which need to go up no matter what.

  • http://twitter.com/holaMau Mau Sandoval 

    Why Cargill, for instance, doesn’t get the hard time they are giving Apple? ah, maybe because their asshat lobbyists make sure nothing surfaces, or maybe because it is OK to exploit rice harvesters in China and other countries just because it is food. Or maybe it’s also OK to exploit illegal immigrants on corn fields in this country because HECK! they are illegal immigrants.

    None of these other irregularities are every mentioned nor condemned. If the guys at the New York Times think is better to have these Chinese workers and their children peddling on the street than having them work and give them shelter at night at the same time, then have at it.

    This “call for human rights” is utter bullshit.

    • http://twitter.com/holaMau Mau Sandoval 

      I rest my case:

       ”If people saw what kind of life workers lived before they found a job at Foxconn, they would come to an opposite conclusion of this story: that Apple is such a philanthropist,” 

      “It is biased to blame Apple for everything. The government should supervise the companies and their conduct, not the other way around.”

      “By the way, construction workers and farmers are also living a harsh life in China, shall we also boycott housing and grains?”

      – http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/12/01/27/chinese_respond_to_report_on_apples_suppliers_in_china.html

    • Anonymous

      One thought because I don’t have much time: conditions in Chinese rice paddies may well be terrible, but why does that give Foxconn and other suppliers license to offer terrible working conditions as well? I was always taught two wrong don’t make a right.  Apple has an opportunity to be a leader on this issue and make improvements in the lives for the very people who build their products. I think they would be wise to seize it.

      • Richie

        As someone else already alluded to before me, Apple can’t push too hard on this because it will drive up costs and reduce margins. In the very press release they put out this week announcing their fiscal 2012 first quarter results, they were boasting proudly about a greater than 6% increase in margins on the same numbers a year ago. They at least partly achieve these increases in margin by negotiating down manufacturing costs with suppliers.

        If Apple were to start making big demands out of its suppliers requiring fair pay, decent working conditions etc. then the cost of doing business with those suppliers would have to increase. Apple doesn’t exist as a business to make a loss  anymore than their suppliers do. If costs are increased greatly on suppliers, they will have to be passed onto Apple, which reduces their margins, which in turn pisses off AAPL shareholders, which ultimately drives down their share price.

        Apple will no doubt do everything they can to pretend they are doing a whole lot with initiatives like “Supplier Responsibility”, inspections and leaked internal memos. But the truth is a big reason they are in China and Brazil is for the cheap labour, the lax employment laws, etc.