China Tech News hits back at The Mail’s iPod report

WASHINGTON, DC: Chinese technology industry journal China Tech News has reacted strongly to allegations that two Apple iPod factories in that country keep their employees in slave-like conditions. The British tabloid, The Mail on Sunday, had alleged when its reporters visited two Apple iPod factories at unidentified locations in China, they saw sweatshop like conditions where 2 lakh employees slept in 100-person dormitories, worked in 15-hour shifts and earned as little as $50 (Rs2,250) a month.

Perry Wu, a reporter at China Tech News wrote, “Corporate social responsibility is important to any company operating in China. But the same type of ethics extends to newspapers who wish to antagonize for no other reason than to attract eyeballs. It should be the newspaper’s job to promote good fact-finding and sources. One of the journalist’s sources for the article was a security guard outside the factory who said mostly women worked at the company because ‘they are more honest than male workers’. Thank goodness we had such an authoritative figure to let us know about the machinations at the factory.”

In response to the report, Apple, led by founder and CEO Steve Jobs, has launched an investigation into the matter, saying  “We do not tolerate any violations of our supplier code of conduct.” Apple’s iPod, which debuted on October 23, 2001, is the wor’d’s largest selling personal entertainment device with nearly 50 million unites sold until now in more than 10 models.

Wu, in his report, also turned on the offensive, “Visitors are not permitted into the factory? Since when were you able to tiptoe around the vats of beer at Anheuser-Busch’s brewery in Williamsburg, Virginia? Or when was the last time you showed up at Microsoft’s compound unannounced in Redmond and expected the royal treatment?”