Today (3rd November, 2017) is the releasing date of iPhone X. SACOM, an Hong Kong based NGO, and international activists from Philippines, USA, UK, France, Germany, Austria and other regions have come together and held the iSlave at 10 Global Action Day against Apple’s labour abuses during the past 10 years of iPhone production. Activists protested in Apple Shops in their regions and demand Apple to make change immediately. In Hong Kong, SACOM, together with other labour right groups and university students staged a protest at 0830 in Apple Shop, Festival Walk, Kowloon Tong, Hong Kong.
According to the “Betrayed: No Democratic Representative Trade Union for Foxconn Workers in China” report and other workers’ interview videos revealed by SACOM, the major labour abuses of Apple include:
- Corrupted Trade Union: Trade union election in Apple’s suppliers are found to be corrupted. Workers were forced to vote to assigned candidate with open ballot. The union also suppressed workers demand when labour disputes happens.
- Student Intern Abuses: Apple’s manufacturers are found to be massively using student interns as young as 16-old to replace regular workers. The students are mostly in irrelevant major and they are not allowed to graduate if they refuse to work.
- Extremely Low Wage: Workers’ basic wage have barely raised since 2012 while the inflation was rapid. Workers have no choice but to work excessive overtime for a living.
Based on these violations, we demand Apple to:
- Guarantee Full Trade Union Right for All Workers
- Stop Labour Flexibilization
- Double the Basic Wage for Workers’ Reasonable Living