Labor Abuse Report Claims Apple Supplier Is Making Budget iPhone

A new labor report painting a grim picture of conditions at an Apple supplier factory in Shanghai, China, claims that Apple is working on "a scaled-back, less expensive version of the iPhone."

Monday's report [PDF] from New York-based non-profit China Labor Watch criticizes Cupertino, Calif.-based Apple for allowing alleged poor treatment of factory workers at supplier Pegatron in Shanghai. The organization claims these violations are happening as Apple prepares to launch "its cheaper iPhones."

At this moment, in Shanghai, China, workers in Apple’s supplier factory Pegatron are monotonously working long overtime hours to turn out a scaled-back, less expensive version of the iPhone. Six days a week, the workers making these phones have to work almost 11-hour shifts, 20 minutes of which is unpaid, and the remainder of which is paid at a rate of $1.50 an hour ($268 per month) before overtime. Read more...