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June 12, 2006
O Brave New World!
that has such wonders in it...Inside Apple's iPod factories
By Macworld staff
Apple's iPods are made by mainly female workers who earn as little as £27 per month, according to a report in the Mail on Sunday yesterday. ...
The Mail visited some of these factories and spoke with staff there. It reports that Foxconn's Longhua plant houses 200,000 workers, remarking: "This iPod City has a population bigger than Newcastle's."
The report claims Longhua's workers live in dormitories that house 100 people, and that visitors from the outside world are not permitted. Workers toil for 15-hours a day to make the iconic music player, the report claims. They earn £27 per month. The report reveals that the iPod nano is made in a five-storey factory (E3) that is secured by police officers.
Another factory in Suzhou, Shanghai, makes iPod shuffles. The workers are housed outside the plant, and earn £54 per month - but they must pay for their accommodation and food, "which takes up half their salaries", the report observes. ...
Apple is just one of thousands of companies that now use Chinese facilities to manufacture its products, the report observes. Low wages, long hours and China's industrial secrecy make the country attractive to business, particularly as increased competition and consumer expectations force companies to deliver products at attractive prices.
Posted by jnfr at June 12, 2006 03:11 PM
Comments
Oh Dear, I thought you gave up blogging. I am very happy to be wrong about that.
Do we still give tax breaks to companies who relocate outside the U.S.? That's like us paying them to take our jobs away from us.
Posted by: grannyinsanity at July 8, 2006 06:38 AM
Oh, I'm still here. I blog here and at my World Turning site, though only sporadically these days.
Yes, of course we give tax breaks to companies even if they relocate out of the U.S. It's part of the corporate welfare our government has become famous for!
Posted by: jnfr at July 8, 2006 10:52 AM