According to The Wall Street Journal’s article, Audit Faults Apple Supplier, Foxconn, a top supplier for Apple Inc., was
recently audited for its labor practices and the results were not favorable.
The investigation, conducted by the Fair Labor Association (FLA), revealed that
at least 50 legal, code, or policy
standards have been breached. The violations include, inadequate risk analysis,
lack of heat protection for workers, and over 60 hours of labor per week for
employees.
As seen in class discussion, these working conditions are
not the first of their kind—the female factory workers in Bangladesh and India
experience compatible conditions. This cycle perpetuates because the products being
produced by those factories are still being purchased. Consumerism feeds the
mouth of mega companies who are in partnership with these factories, such as
Foxconn, all over the world.
Furthermore, countries penetrated by the imperialistic
business model often become dependent on those new job opportunities, which
replace previous agricultural practices. Though, the local economies do not
necessarily receive the monetary benefits. As we read about Costa Rica in Thompson’s
article, the large businesses that move into foreign land have easier access to
credit, so they receive massive government subsidies and tax breaks for export
production in agriculture and manufactured goods. “Thus agriculture, for
example, has become dominated by large-scale production for export of
commodities...”(196). So, globalization—what is seemingly meant to decentralize
power—causes centralization instead. The mega companies benefit, not the
workers or the economies of the poached countries.
In agreement with the FLA President and Chief Executive
Auret van Heerden’s comment in this article, I do think that Foxconn’s
commitment to reduce the overtime hours is an important step forward, as well
as Apple’s commitment to change labor practices. They are setting an example
for other companies who should follow. Also, it is a great responsibility of
consumers to put pressure on companies to uphold labor conditions. Signing
online petitions, such as through change.org,
is a great way to carry speedy momentum for issues regarding rights issues such
as child labor, human trafficking, and labor conditions.
