Whatever your thoughts on last week’s BBC documentary about the poor worker conditions in factories producing the iPhone, there’s no doubt that it’s brought the topic back into widespread circulation.
Unlike the majority of previous reports, this time the target wasn’t Foxconn, however, but instead the Taiwan-based firm Pegatron Technology, which has been taking an increasing amount of Apple orders as of late.
With negative press circulating about the company mistreating its workers, Pegatron today filed a statement with the Taiwan Stock Exchange, pledging to inspect all negative claims carried in the report and implement improvements to make sure these problems are solved.
It also says that it provides strict training to both its management and workers, and that external inspectors regularly check on the factories to see if there is room for improvement.
While Apple isn’t explicitly mentioned in the statement, it would seem likely that the company has put pressure on Pegatron — not least since, despite being one of many customers, it has been the recipient of the overwhelming majority of negative press.
In a recent email from Apple VP Jeff Williams to the company’s employees in the UK, Williams said that he and Tim Cook are offended by the BBC’s suggestion that Apple broke promises with workers in the supply chain, and reiterated that no other company is doing “as much as Apple does to ensure fair and safe working conditions.”
In today’s statement, Pegatron said it offers many channels for employees to make suggestions and complaints, and that 94 percent of these are resolved within three days of receiving them.
Earlier this year, Pegatron announced that it expected to see consolidated revenues of $33.3 billion for 2014, mainly due to shipments of Apple’s iPhone and iPad models.
