Apple is being accused of using interns to aid in the manufacturing of the Apple Watch.
The report, from human rights group Sacom, claims Taiwanese Apple supplier Quanta Computer hired students illegally specifically to work on the Apple Watches.
This meant students were forced to work overtime and night shifts with only one day off allowed per week.
It is the second iteration of a report published by Sacom, which published “Apple Watch 3 – Exploit Student Workers Further. An Investigative Report on Apple Watch’s Exclusive Manufacturer” in 2017.
In the most recent report, Sacom states: “This report discloses that Apple Inc. is undoubtedly manufacturing Apple Watch in Quanta Chongqing facilities using significant numbers of student workers aged 16-19 years.
“It also reveals that working conditions for student interns in the factory do not comply with the ‘Administrative Provisions Regarding Internships for Vocational School Students’ issued by the Chinese government and the ‘Student Worker Protections’ explicated in Apple’s ‘Supplier Responsibility Standards’.
The report details one particular situation where a student’s parent was called when the intern refused to do the work.
“I told my teacher I do not want to do this job. He then called my father and talked to him for more than an hour. My father then pressured me, so I had no choice but to come,” the student said.
Apple has since released a statement commenting on the accusations, which said the tech giant is urgently investigating the claims.
“We are urgently investigating the report that student interns added in September are working overtime and night shifts.
“We have zero tolerance for failure to comply with our standards and we ensure swift action and appropriate remediation if we discover [supplier code] violations.”