The Fair Labor Association (FLA), a company hired by Apple to independently audit Foxconn to ensure the manufacturing plants in Shenzhen, China, adhere to Apple’s human rights expectations, has provided an update on the Foxconn situation in a press release.
According to its findings, “Apple and Foxconn are ahead of schedule in improving the conditions under which some of the world’s most popular electronics are being made.” While the conditions are imporoving, the FLA has also indicated that the next set of changes will provide difficulties for Foxconn because they include major changes in the working environment.
Changes that have been implemented include the enforcement of ergonomic breaks to help lower repetitive stress injuries. Foxconn has also engaged “consultants to provide health and safety training for all employees” as well as extend unemployment insurance coverage for migrant works in Shenzhen.
The lengthy report can be found on the FLA website, and it’s also available on the web in its entirety, and as a PDF, should you want to look into the results on a deeper level.
One question remains, however. Why are the other Foxconn partners still silent on the topic? We’re looking at you Amazon, Acer, Cisco, Dell, HP, Microsoft, Nintendo, Samsung, and Sony.
