¿Explotación laboral por Apple en China. Reportaje por CNN

Victor Villasmil

9 Oct 201505:00

Summary

TLDRThe script discusses the life of a migrant worker, Miss Chen, at Foxconn, a major electronics manufacturer in China. Despite working over 60 hours a week assembling iPads, she has never seen a finished product. Foxconn, known for producing Apple's iconic devices, has faced criticism for its labor practices, including high turnover and poor working conditions, leading to a series of worker suicides in 2010. While the company claims to have improved conditions and worker welfare, with on-site medical services and better living conditions, Miss Chen and others still feel overworked and undervalued. Despite her dissatisfaction, she aspires to own an iPad someday.

Takeaways

📱 The script discusses the irony of a woman who works over 60 hours a week manufacturing iPads but has never seen a finished one.
🏭 The woman, referred to as Miss Chen, works for Foxconn, a major electronics manufacturer for globally recognized brands, including Apple.
🤫 Miss Chen fears speaking to the media, as she believes it could lead to her losing her job due to Foxconn's strict policies against employees speaking to the press.
👥 Foxconn employs over a million workers, with the majority based in China, where they manufacture Apple's iconic products like iPads, iPods, and iPhones.
🔁 The script highlights high employee turnover at Foxconn, with workers being easily replaceable and discouraged from complaining about their conditions.
🆘 The company has faced controversies, including a series of worker suicides in 2010, which led to increased scrutiny and improvements in working conditions.
💼 Foxconn claims to provide fair treatment and protection of workers' rights, offering medical services and improved living conditions for its employees.
🤔 Despite Foxconn's claims, there are allegations of preferential treatment for executives and managers, while the majority of workers face a military-like culture with unpredictable work hours and strict management.
🗣️ Workers are reportedly not allowed to speak during rest periods and are discouraged from speaking out about their conditions, even outside the production area.
💭 Miss Chen expresses her desire to leave Foxconn and return to university, indicating a dissatisfaction with her current job and a desire for a different future.
💰 Miss Chen earns a low hourly wage and aspires to own an iPad one day, reflecting the contrast between her role in manufacturing the product and her personal ability to afford it.

Q & A

What is the main activity of the woman mentioned in the script?
-The woman, referred to as Señorita Chen, dedicates more than 60 hours per week to assembling screens for electronic devices, specifically iPads, at Foxconn.
Why has Señorita Chen never seen a finished iPad despite working on them?
-Señorita Chen has never seen a finished iPad because she works on assembling parts and does not have access to the final product during her work at Foxconn.
What is Foxconn known for in the context of the script?
-Foxconn is known for manufacturing electronic products such as iPads, iPods, and iPhones for globally renowned companies like Apple.
What is the main concern of the workers at Foxconn according to Señorita Chen?
-The main concern of the workers at Foxconn, as expressed by Señorita Chen, is the intense and dehumanizing work conditions where they are overworked and treated like machines.
What is the policy of Foxconn regarding employee interviews as mentioned in the script?
-According to the script, Foxconn has a policy that considers accepting interviews a criminal offense that will be investigated according to the law.
What recent incident at Foxconn's Wuhan plant is mentioned in the script?
-The script mentions a recent incident where workers at Foxconn's Wuhan plant threatened mass suicide, which was related to labor assignments and relocation policies, according to Microsoft.
How did Foxconn respond to the worker suicides in 2010?
-In response to the worker suicides in 2010, Foxconn improved conditions in its factories, increased salaries, and provided therapy to its employees.
What is Apple's stance on working with companies that do not respect their employees, as per the script?
-Apple's stance, as mentioned in the script, is that they ensure not to work with companies that do not respect their employees and that they care about the workers in all the companies they have a relationship with.
What are the worker rights groups' claims about Foxconn's treatment of employees?
-Worker rights groups claim that Foxconn favors certain privileged individuals like executives and managers, while the majority of workers face a military-like culture with unpredictable work hours, inadequate rest periods, and strict restrictions on talking in production areas.
What are Señorita Chen's future plans regarding her employment at Foxconn?
-Señorita Chen plans to leave her job at Foxconn soon to return to university and has no intention of returning to work there in the future.
Despite her negative experience, what does Señorita Chen say about owning an iPad?
-Despite her negative experience working at Foxconn, Señorita Chen expresses a desire to own an iPad someday if she has enough money.

Outlines

00:00

🏭 Life of an iPad Factory Worker at Foxconn

The video script introduces a woman who has never seen a finished iPad despite working over 60 hours a week assembling them. She is one of many migrant workers from rural China working at Foxconn, a company that manufactures electronics for globally renowned brands. The woman, referred to as Miss Chen to protect her identity, works at a factory in Shenzhen, where she installs screens on iPads. Foxconn has been in the news for high employee turnover, strict policies against speaking to the media, and past incidents of worker suicides. Despite improvements in working conditions following these events, workers still face long hours and a culture that some describe as dehumanizing. Miss Chen expresses her desire to leave the job and return to university, but she also expresses a personal interest in owning an iPad once she has enough money.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡iPad

An iPad is a line of tablet computers designed, developed, and marketed by Apple Inc. In the context of the video, it is a product that the workers, including the woman mentioned, manufacture but have never used. The video highlights the irony that despite dedicating over 60 hours a week to assemble iPads, the workers do not get to experience using the finished product themselves.

💡Migrant Workers

Migrant workers are individuals who move from rural to urban areas in search of work, often facing challenging conditions. The video script mentions that many workers like the woman in the story are migrants from rural China, highlighting the broader social issue of labor migration and its implications on workers' lives.

💡Foxconn

Foxconn, also known as Hon Hai Precision Industry, is a multinational electronics contract manufacturing company. It is highlighted in the script as the employer of the woman and many others, where they work long hours assembling electronic devices like iPads for major brands. The company's labor practices are a central theme in the video, with allegations of harsh working conditions.

💡Working Conditions

Working conditions refer to the environment and circumstances under which people work. The video script discusses the poor working conditions at Foxconn, including long hours, high-stress environments, and a culture that treats workers as mere machines, which is a significant point of criticism.

💡Labor Rights

Labor rights are the rights of workers to fair and just treatment in the workplace. The video suggests that labor rights are being violated at Foxconn, with workers being overworked and underpaid, and facing repercussions for speaking out about their conditions.

💡Suicide

The script references a series of suicides at Foxconn, which brought attention to the severe working conditions and the mental health impact on workers. This tragic event forced the company to take action to improve the well-being of its employees.

💡Apple

Apple Inc. is a multinational technology company that designs and sells consumer electronics, including the iPad. The video discusses Apple's role as a client of Foxconn and raises questions about the responsibility of brands like Apple in ensuring fair labor practices in their supply chains.

💡Employee Turnover

Employee turnover refers to the rate at which employees leave a company. The script mentions high turnover at Foxconn, suggesting that the poor working conditions lead many workers to seek employment elsewhere, which can be indicative of broader issues within the company.

💡Underpaid

Being underpaid means receiving less compensation than what is considered fair or reasonable for one's work. The video script implies that workers at Foxconn are underpaid, which is a common issue in labor-intensive industries and a point of contention in the narrative.

💡Workplace Culture

Workplace culture encompasses the values, behaviors, and practices that characterize the work environment. The video criticizes the military-like culture at Foxconn, where workers are expected to work long hours with little rest and face strict management, contributing to a negative and oppressive atmosphere.

💡Unions and Labor Groups

Unions and labor groups are organizations that advocate for the rights and interests of workers. The script mentions these groups as critics of Foxconn, suggesting that they play a role in highlighting and addressing the issues faced by workers in such environments.

Highlights

A woman working over 60 hours a week to manufacture iPads has never seen a finished iPad.

Many workers, like her, are migrant laborers from rural China dedicating long hours to assembling electronic devices.

The woman, referred to as Miss Chen, is one of a million Foxconn employees, primarily in China, where she installs iPad screens.

Foxconn is known for manufacturing Apple's iPads, iPods, and iPhones, contributing to Apple's status as a commercial and cultural icon.

Miss Chen describes the work environment as treating women like men and men like machines.

The turnover rate at Foxconn is high, and complaining can lead to job loss.

There have been incidents of workers threatening mass suicide, prompting investigations into labor assignments and transfer policies.

In 2010, Foxconn made headlines due to over a dozen worker suicides, leading to improvements in factory conditions.

Foxconn claims to have increased salaries and provided therapy for employees, boasting of better working and living conditions than industry standards in China.

Apple has been criticized for doing business with companies outside the U.S. that may not respect employee rights.

Apple reassures that it does not work with companies that do not respect their employees and is concerned about workers' welfare.

Worker rights groups argue that Foxconn favors certain privileged employees, such as executives and managers, over the majority.

There are complaints about a military-like culture, unpredictable work hours, and harsh management practices.

Workers are not allowed to speak in the production area, and even outside, they are discouraged from talking about their conditions.

Miss Chen finds her work routine monotonous and feels like a 'kind of animal,' with work and sleep being her only activities.

Despite her negative experiences, Miss Chen aspires to own an iPad if she can afford it someday.

She plans to leave Foxconn and return to university, not wanting to work there after graduation.