Wistron unrest may come under Apple’s scrutiny

In the past, Apple has come down heavily on contract manufacturers for breaching its supplier code of conduct. The latest episode of unrest at Taiwanese iPhone manufacturer Wistron’s Narasapura plant would call for Apple’s scrutiny on what triggered worker violence at the site.

Last month, Apple’s key supplier Pegatron broke the former’s supply chain rules after the Taiwanese firm asked students to work night shifts and overtime at one of its plants in mainland China. Apple said the contractor had falsified paperwork and misclassified some of the workers to disguise the violations. Apple takes employee working conditions at supplier sites seriously and Wistron India has to pass the litmus test. An email sent to Apple on the violence at Narasapura remained unanswered till the time of going to the press.

Wistron’s Narasapura facility works for other consumer brands, but it counts Apple as its key customer. Apple conducts stringent audits on suppliers. It has put enough safeguards in place for working conditions at its suppliers’ facilities and is aligned with international labour and human rights standards. It even removes suppliers from its list if they don’t meet the standards.
Apple Supplier Responsibility 2020 Progress Report showed of the 12 core violations found in the labour and human rights category in 2019, 10 were related to working-hour violations. Overall supplier working hours compliance for the year was 95%. ToI