Source : Procurement Leaders
Tim Cook, CEO of Apple, has stated that the technology giant is committed to improving conditions for workers in its supply chain and ensuring that suppliers not meeting standards risk losing business.
Speaking at the Goldman Sachs Technology conference Cook said “Apple takes working conditions very seriously, and we have for a very long time.";
Apple recently announced that the Fair Labor Organisation (FLO) would be inspecting its supplier’s factories in order to improve conditions after a collection of damning press reports over conditions in some of Apple’s suppliers’ factories. "Whether workers are in Europe or Asia or the United States, we care about every worker,” Cook told reporters.
"The issues around it are complex. Our commitment is simple: every worker has the right to a fair and safe work environment, free of discrimination, where they can earn competitive wages and they can voice their concerns freely. Apple’s suppliers must live up to this to do business with Apple.
"We are very connected to the process and we understand working conditions at a very granular level. I realise that the supply chain is complex and I’m sure that you realise this," he said.
"No one in our industry is doing more to improve working conditions than Apple. We believe transparency is so very important in this area."
Speaking directly about child labour practices Cook said “If we find a supplier that intentionally hires underage labour, it’s a firing offence."
Some have however criticised the effectiveness of the FLO. “The Fair Labor Association is largely a fig leaf,” Jeff Ballinger, director of Press for Change, a labour rights group, told the New York Times.
“There’s all this rhetoric from corporate social responsibility people and the big companies that they want to improve labour standards, but all the pressure seems to be going the other direction — they’re trying to force prices down.”