SHANGHAI: Apple and manufacturing partner Foxconn Technology on Monday rebutted allegations of lapses in people management levelled by a non-profit monitor of worker rights, though confirmed they employed too many temporary workers.
The response comes after China Labor Watch on Monday issued a lengthy report accusing the two companies of breaching numerous Chinese labor laws, including one barring temporary staff from exceeding 10 percent of the total workforce.
US tech firm Apple relies heavily on Taiwan’s Foxconn and its Chinese manufacturing facilities to produce devices such as the iPhone, the next line of which will be unveiled on Tuesday.
In a statement, Apple said it investigated the percentage of temporary workers among the overall workforce and found it “exceeded our standards.” It said it was working with Foxconn to “immediately resolve the issue.”
Apple did not state whether the excess amounted to a breach of Chinese law. It declined to comment when asked directly by Reuters.
China’s Ministry of Human Resources and Security did not respond to a Reuters fax seeking comment. Reuters could not immediately determine any penalty for temporary employees exceeding 10 percent of the workforce.
Apple also said it discovered interns at a supplier facility had worked overtime at night, violating company policy, and that “this issue has been corrected.” It said the interns worked overtime voluntarily and were properly compensated.
Foxconn separately confirmed over-reliance on temporary workers, known internally dispatch workers.
“We did find evidence that the use of dispatch workers and the number of hours of overtime work carried out by employees, which we have confirmed was always voluntary, was not consistent with company guidelines,” Foxconn said.
It said it “immediately began a detailed process to ensure that all issues were addressed.”
The labor report comes at a time of trade tension between the United States and China that has threatened to upend supply chains across the technology industry with tit-for-tat import tariffs.
Earlier this year, media reports said Apple was considering moving some operations out of China to avoid new US tariffs, with Japan’s Nikkei Asian Review in June putting the figure at 15 percent to 30 percent of production.
In an earnings call in July, Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook downplayed such speculation, stating the vast majority of Apple’s products “are kind of made everywhere.”
“There’s a significant level of content from the United States and a lot from Japan to Korea to China, and the European Union also contributes a fair amount. And so, that’s the nature of a global supply chain. Largely, I think that will carry the day in the future as well.”
Apple, Foxconn: We overly relied on temporary workers in China
Apple, Foxconn: We overly relied on temporary workers in China
- Apple said it investigated the percentage of temporary workers among the overall workforce and found it ‘exceeded our standards’
- Earllier media reports said Apple was considering moving some operations out of China to avoid new US tariffs
Saudi Arabia’s cultural sector is a new economic engine between Riyadh and Paris, says ambassador
RIYADH: Culture has become a fundamental pillar in bilateral relations between France and Saudi Arabia, according to the French Ambassador to the Kingdom, Patrick Maisonnave.
Maisonnave noted its connection to the entertainment and tourism sectors, which makes it a new engine for economic cooperation between Riyadh and Paris.
He told Al-Eqtisadiah during the opening ceremony of La Fabrique in the Jax district of Diriyah that cultural cooperation with Saudi Arabia is an important element for its attractiveness in the coming decades.
La Fabrique is a space dedicated to artistic creativity and cultural exchange, launched as part of a partnership between the Riyadh Art program and the French Institute in Riyadh.
Running from Jan. 22 until Feb 14, the initiative will provide an open workspace that allows artists to develop and work on their ideas within a collaborative framework.
Launching La Fabrique as a space dedicated to artistic creativity
The ambassador highlighted that the transformation journey in the Kingdom under Vision 2030 has contributed to the emergence of a new generation of young artists and creators, alongside a growing desire in Saudi society to connect with culture and to embrace what is happening globally.
He affirmed that the relationship between the two countries is “profound, even cultural par excellence,” with interest from the Saudi side in French culture, matched by increasing interest from the French public and cultural institutions unfolding in the Kingdom.
Latest estimates indicate that the culture-based economy represents about 2.3 percent of France’s gross domestic product, equivalent to more than 90 billion euros ($106.4 billion) in annual revenues, according to government data. The sector directly employs more than 600,000 people, making it one of the largest job-creating sectors in the fields of creativity, publishing, cinema, and visual arts.
Saudi Arabia benefiting from French experience in the cultural field
Maisonnave explained that France possesses established cultural institutions, while Saudi Arabia is building a strong cultural sector, which opens the door for cooperation opportunities.
This comes as an extension of the signing of 10 major cultural agreements a year ago between French and Saudi institutions, aiming to enhance cooperation and transfer French expertise and knowledge to contribute to the development of the cultural system in the Kingdom.
He added that experiences like La Fabrique provide an opportunity to meet the new generation of Saudi creators, who have expressed interest in connecting with French institutions and artists in Paris and France.
La Fabrique encompasses a space for multiple contemporary artistic practices, including performance arts, digital and interactive arts, photography, music, and cinema, while providing the public with an opportunity to witness the stages of producing artistic works and interact with the creative process.
