All
technological devices are the result of a series of processes such as design
creation, research on the product impact, and manufacturing. The latter
corresponds to the process of assembling the device manually or mechanically,
and it tends to be rather polemic. Most manufacturers are from China, and they supply
companies such as Apple, Nokia, and Motorola.
As I mentioned
before, manufacturing is a polemic topic because of many reasons. One of them
relates to the working conditions of the workers, who have to work long hours
and seven days per week sometimes. Moreover, these labors have experienced
traumatic accidents inside their work place; for instance, on January, two
people were killed because of an explosion in an Apple supplier that was
assembling iPad cases. On top of that, workers receive little payment for their
services despite the accidents and diseases they are exposed to.
Also, the companies
who have suppliers do not seem to be concerned about these accidents. Apple is famous
in this regard since several independent reports indicate that they do not
change the working codes even when mortal accidents occur inside their
manufacturers; for example, when they were alerted that dangerous chemicals
would end up jeopardizing the life of the workers, they did not heed the
warning and several accidents ensued.
Whether the
companies pay or do not pay attention to the working conditions of their
workers, it is up to them. What is sadder is the fact that the Chinese government
has allowed this to happen and that the investigations are carried out by
independent organizations alien to the official administration.
If you want to know more about Apple's malpractices, read the following article.
