Shocking Condition Of Workers In A Chinese Factory Producing iPhones And iPads Exposed In A Video

Just recently, BBC's Panorama has released a documentary about the shocking condition of workers in an iPhone factory in China. Gruesome videos were captured by BBC's team showing exhausted workforce that tries to regain strength by stealing few minutes of nap during their breaks.

BBC has sent undercover reporters to penetrate the alleged factory to record videos that will serve as evidence of the inhumane treatment that iPhone workers experience. In Pegatron, the company which runs one of the factories that assembles iPhones and iPads, has intolerable working conditions that has been witnessed by the undercover factory workers.

Watching the documentary was indeed a pain the eye. Footages exposed workers who are required to work more than 60 hours a week. The number of working hours spent in the factory by each of the workers are more than Apple's work guidelines. The film even captured workers almost falling off from their stations due to exhaustion and lack of sleep. Workers who were trying to get some sleep during breaks, were exposed and a video which showed workers in a line producing iPhones were all dozing off on their respective posts. There was even a scene which caught a factory worker (assumed to be a team leader) warning other workers not to fall asleep to avoid accidents like electrocution in case they hit a machine which are obviously run by live wires.

According to Business Insider, the team of undercover also witnessed factory dorm rooms which are intended for eight people being occupied by twelve workers instead. They have also experienced firsthand bullying from factory managers. The undercover reporters even witnessed iPhone assemblers sleeping while standing due to being worn out by 12-hour shifts and some even failed to eat due to severe exhaustion. They were also able to interview a worker who told them that he usually falls asleep before even reaching the bathroom.

In 2010, 14 factory workers from Foxconn (another iPhone-producing factory) allegedly killed themselves due to the abuse they have encountered in the work place. That incident caused Apple to commit in protecting its workers. But with BBC's controversial secret filming of Apple's workplace, it appears that the giant tech company is not following its vows.

One of the undercover reporters voiced out that Apple's projection as a perfect enterprise is just a façade and he even stressed his belief that the company does not even care about its employees. Finally, Pegatron promised that it will look closely into the case.