iPhone factory exposé offensive, cries Tim Cook

iPhone factory | Photo Credit: EPN

Apple CEO Tim Cook has responded to the exposé by the New York Times that alleges inhumane working conditions and labor abuse in its iPad and iPhone factories in China and that it "never cared about anything other than increasing product quality and decreasing production cost" as a Foxconn executive was quoted as saying in a Times report.

"We care about every worker in our worldwide supply chain. Any accident is deeply troubling, and any issue with working conditions is cause for concern. Any suggestion that we don’t care is patently false and offensive to us. As you know better than anyone, accusations like these are contrary to our values. It’s not who we are. For the many hundreds of you who are based at our suppliers’ manufacturing sites around the world, or spend long stretches working there away from your families, I know you are as outraged by this as I am." Cook wrote in a lengthy email sent to all Apple employees.

According to a report by the Times, Chinese factory workers are subjected to poor working conditions which include seven day work weeks, working 12 hour shifts and living in overcrowded dormitories for very low pay. The employees reportedly complained of swollen legs for standing while working for such long hours and that they can hardly work after shift.

The Times also cited reports of mass accidental poisonings and factory explosions that killed four people and injured dozens more.

Although he asserted to the fallacy of these claims, Cook may also be tacitly admitting that there are things that still need to be improved. He added, "We will continue to dig deeper, and we will undoubtedly find more issues. What we will not do — and never have done — is stand still or turn a blind eye to problems in our supply chain. On this you have my word."

Cook also emphasized that there is a program in his company that educates workers to their rights and that encourages the reporting of workplace violations.