Apple 'failing to protect Chinese factory workers'

[sal]

nothing wrong with having conditions on imports, apply a green tariff and a fair employee tariff.

The problem with this idea is that the Apple products are imported from USA, while their bits are produced all over the world and assembled in China. Where do you put the import restrictions? Not even remotely possible without shutting down your own economy.

We should not. But we should refuse to buy their products until they comply with proper standards.

I agree, just like the vegetarians who are against animal slaughter refuse to eat meat. But then again it will be a major inconvenience for most people, so they stick to bitching about and blaming others.

[minestrone]

The South Koreans at least torture themselves, 12 hour school days and the like

Now, The start of the program quite clearly stated they were getting it because of their marketing, the broadcaster said that "people bought into the image" they showed clips of and their CEO telling everyone how much he loved the world and their staff, making little daft hearts with Bono on stage, "gods greatest gift was to make me gay".

People buy apple for the image they create around the company and it is right to delve deeper into that image. That is what the program was about, if it was truly a program about workers rights they would be down mines in China.

I think most of you missed the point of the show.

[xoggoth]

Apple and others may be hypocrites as some have said above but it is not primarily the role of western purchasers to enforce proper worker conditions in developing nations, that is what their own governments should be doing.

If they want proper safety standards, good workers conditions and workers' rights as we do they will have to raise prices and become much less competitive and manufacture will start to return to the West. They can't have it both ways.

their CEO telling everyone how much he loved the world and their staff, making little daft hearts

PS Anyone who is enticed to buys goods after watching ads like that must be barmy. Do I actually need it? Does it work? Will do.

[sal]

The South Koreans at least torture themselves, 12 hour school days and the like

Now, The start of the program quite clearly stated they were getting it because of their marketing, the broadcaster said that "people bought into the image" they showed clips of and their CEO telling everyone how much he loved the world and their staff, making little daft hearts with Bono on stage, "gods greatest gift was to make me gay".

People buy apple for the image they create around the company and it is right to delve deeper into that image. That is what the program was about, if it was truly a program about workers rights they would be down mines in China.

I think most of you missed the point of the show.

If they are after the projected image of integrity i would be much more concerned about them evading billions of tax using loopholes and offshores than poor working conditions of the Chinese. Both are strictly speaking legal, however immoral. The difference is one of them will catch the audience eye/ear. Neither will sway people from buying Apple/Samsung/Whatever products as there is no alternative.

[Eirikur]

For decades Microsoft was picked upon by a snobbish Apple elite, finally they get some stick now

[Zero Liability]

Agree with Xoggoth and Sal - the media tend to spin these stories in the most myopic, sensationalist ways possible and rarely give much consideration to what preceded the jobs generated by these corporations, usually authoritarian governments that reduced their subjects to a state of utter poverty and immiseration in the name of the great socialist experiments, leaving them with alternatives that are worse. Of course you can refuse to deal with their governments etc, and perhaps end up consigning them back to the old alternatives whilst retarding or even reversing these countries' development. Boycotting the products may work but it could well have the same effects. It probably the most effective way, however, to get a firm to react.

[vetran]

Agree with Xoggoth and Sal - the media tend to spin these stories in the most myopic, sensationalist ways possible and rarely give much consideration to what preceded the jobs generated by these corporations, usually authoritarian governments that reduced their subjects to a state of utter poverty and immiseration in the name of the great socialist experiments, leaving them with alternatives that are worse. Of course you can refuse to deal with their governments etc, and perhaps end up consigning them back to the old alternatives whilst retarding or even reversing these countries' development. Boycotting the products may work but it could well have the same effects. It probably the most effective way, however, to get a firm to react.

that's why I'm a fan of tariffs doesn't stop it just forces suppliers to behave on pain of loss.

[newmove]

but, this is the norm with high end products. Scratch that, even Primark exploits them in India.

[minestrone]

Unlike all the other companies that have been listed on this thread apple came out and promised an explicit list of things it would not do, from child labour to sourcing of materials, their CEO then would not stop going on about how they were fulfilling those promises. They have found out to be complete lies.

I understand market forces, I understand labour arbitrage but I also understand the concept of pissing down someone's back and telling them it is raining.

So no, Apple getting caught with this is not the same as Samsung or Primark.

[Bunk]

Unlike all the other companies that have been listed on this thread apple came out and promised an explicit list of things it would not do, from child labour to sourcing of materials, their CEO then would not stop going on about how they were fulfilling those promises. They have found out to be complete lies.

I understand market forces, I understand labour arbitrage but I also understand the concept of pissing down someone's back and telling them it is raining.

So no, Apple getting caught with this is not the same as Samsung or Primark.

But it is exactly the same. Those companies have also said they would improve the working standards of their suppliers, and if they haven't, isn't that even worse?