Foxconn says it stopped interns from working illegal overtime at Zhenzhou plant
23 Nov 2017
Foxconn, a main supplier for Apple's iPhone, said it has stopped interns from working illegal overtime at its factory in China after a Financial Times report found at least six students worked 11-hour days at its iPhone X plant in Henan province.
The practice breached Chinese laws preventing children from working over 40 hours per week. The Zhenzhou plant hired around 3,000 students according to reports.
According to Apple, the secondary school students worked voluntarily but they "should not have been allowed to work overtime".
The tech giant and Foxconn said the interns were "compensated and provided benefits".
"Apple is dedicated to ensuring everyone in our supply chain is treated with the dignity and respect they deserve," the firm said in a statement.
"We know our work is never done and we'll continue to do all we can to make a positive impact and protect workers in our supply chain."
The Foxconn Technology Group, which operates an internship programme at the Chinese factory, told the BBC in a statement that it took "immediate action to ensure that no interns are carrying out any overtime work".
It added that "interns represent a very small percentage" of its workforce in China and that the breach of labour laws was not in line with its own policies.