Apple admits excessive iPod hours

Apple Computer has said a report of labour conditions at its iPod plant in China found workers did more than 60 hours a week a third of the time.
Staff making the world's most popular MP3 player also worked more than six consecutive days 25% of the time.

Apple said the hours were "excessive" and said its supplier would now be enforcing a "normal" 60-hour week.

The California-based firm said its report found "no evidence of enforced labour" or use of child workers.

The computer firm sent an audit team to its unnamed plant in China after a British newspaper published a story alleging poor working practices.

The supplier of iPods has to follow a code of conduct laid down by Apple.

In a statement Apple said: "Our investigation found that our top iPod manufacturing partner, Foxconn, complies with our supplier code of conduct in most areas and is taking steps to correct the violations we found."

But the report has been criticised by a leading international trade union organisation for not being independently verified.

Janek Kuczkiewicz, director of human and trade union rights at the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU), said he was not impressed by the report.

Apple has a zero tolerance policy for any instance, isolated or not, of any treatment of workers that could be interpreted as harsh

Apples statement and report

I think its pretty bad, why should anyone get that badly treated whilst at work?

That said, I'm sure Apple will fix that (well I hope so).