Workers’ Rights at Apple Inc.
by Gee Min Jang, Xiaojie Chen, and Sallen Hui
According to UDHR Article 23, "Everyone has the right to work, to free choice of employment, to just and favorable conditions of work and to protection against unemployment. Everyone, without any discrimination, has the right to equal pay for equal work. Everyone who works has the right to just and favorable remuneration ensuring for himself and his family an existence worthy of human dignity, and supplemented, if necessary, by other means of social protection.Everyone has the right to form and to join trade unions for the protection of his interests." This article means that any worker should have the right to work without any threat, and he or she should earn fundamental benefits. Furthermore, employers should provide a safe working environment to their employees, and pay them enough salaries. Lastly, any employee has the right to join the union to protect their benefits.
In the article "Labor Rights Group Accuses iPhone Maker of Abuses" written by the Associated Press, the author discussed the the unfair treatments to employees in Taiwan. The Taiwanese company, Pegatron manufactures Apple's products such as iPhones and laptops, and Pegatron has a duty to provide safe and fair working condition to their employees. However, the company, Pegatron haven't provided those fair treatments to their employees, yet they have ordered to work overtime without any fair payments or compensations. Later, those secrets in Pegatron company have caught by the rights group, China Labor Watch. Pegatron have falsified the employees' time cards to conceal the violations, and discriminated older members or other minorities. Therefore, Apple complains that Pegatron should have provided good and healthy work environments to their employees according to the contract. As a result, Jason Ching, the chief of the Pegatron has decided to investigate the company and fix those violations immediately.
One idea that is especially significant from the article is “If our audits find that workers have been underpaid or denied compensation for any time they have worked, we will require that Pegatron reimburse them in full.” This significant idea is important because any worker should have the right to earn their full salary without underpaid wages. So, the Apple corporation has to make the decision to focus on these workers' salaries, and Apple corporation also has to protect workers' right.
Based on the article, the human rights organization China Labor Watch focuses on worker’s rights and wants to reduce employers' violations against human rights. As a result, the CLW has found that employees in the Apple factory don’t have a comfortable and safe working environment. These employees are also getting underpaid salaries, and working a long time. When the CLW reported this situation and abuse within the Apple corporation, and the company investigated the factory and committed to providing safe and fair working conditions. This human right is important to think about because workers are an important part in our community, and we should protect their rights. They have right to get a job, and then earn a fully paid.All of the employers should provide a safe environment to their employees.As you can see, workers join a trade union is better way to ensure worker’s benefits and rights are not threatened. Furthermore,we must ensure that all humans have that right because it is an essential right for people. We should support these workers to fight with this rights, and any employers cannot deprived of these rights.
In conclusion, worker’s right is important to workers. These workers should have their essential rights. So, they should join to the union to ensure that their rights are not infringed by any employers. Also, we should support to them.
Works Cited
Associated Press. "Labor Rights Group Accuses iPhone Maker of Abuses." New York Times. 29 July 2013. Web. 6 Nov 2013.
Link to article
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/30/technology/labor-rights-group-accuses-iphone-maker-of-abuses.html?_r=0
According to UDHR Article 23, "Everyone has the right to work, to free choice of employment, to just and favorable conditions of work and to protection against unemployment. Everyone, without any discrimination, has the right to equal pay for equal work. Everyone who works has the right to just and favorable remuneration ensuring for himself and his family an existence worthy of human dignity, and supplemented, if necessary, by other means of social protection.Everyone has the right to form and to join trade unions for the protection of his interests." This article means that any worker should have the right to work without any threat, and he or she should earn fundamental benefits. Furthermore, employers should provide a safe working environment to their employees, and pay them enough salaries. Lastly, any employee has the right to join the union to protect their benefits.
In the article "Labor Rights Group Accuses iPhone Maker of Abuses" written by the Associated Press, the author discussed the the unfair treatments to employees in Taiwan. The Taiwanese company, Pegatron manufactures Apple's products such as iPhones and laptops, and Pegatron has a duty to provide safe and fair working condition to their employees. However, the company, Pegatron haven't provided those fair treatments to their employees, yet they have ordered to work overtime without any fair payments or compensations. Later, those secrets in Pegatron company have caught by the rights group, China Labor Watch. Pegatron have falsified the employees' time cards to conceal the violations, and discriminated older members or other minorities. Therefore, Apple complains that Pegatron should have provided good and healthy work environments to their employees according to the contract. As a result, Jason Ching, the chief of the Pegatron has decided to investigate the company and fix those violations immediately.
One idea that is especially significant from the article is “If our audits find that workers have been underpaid or denied compensation for any time they have worked, we will require that Pegatron reimburse them in full.” This significant idea is important because any worker should have the right to earn their full salary without underpaid wages. So, the Apple corporation has to make the decision to focus on these workers' salaries, and Apple corporation also has to protect workers' right.
Based on the article, the human rights organization China Labor Watch focuses on worker’s rights and wants to reduce employers' violations against human rights. As a result, the CLW has found that employees in the Apple factory don’t have a comfortable and safe working environment. These employees are also getting underpaid salaries, and working a long time. When the CLW reported this situation and abuse within the Apple corporation, and the company investigated the factory and committed to providing safe and fair working conditions. This human right is important to think about because workers are an important part in our community, and we should protect their rights. They have right to get a job, and then earn a fully paid.All of the employers should provide a safe environment to their employees.As you can see, workers join a trade union is better way to ensure worker’s benefits and rights are not threatened. Furthermore,we must ensure that all humans have that right because it is an essential right for people. We should support these workers to fight with this rights, and any employers cannot deprived of these rights.
In conclusion, worker’s right is important to workers. These workers should have their essential rights. So, they should join to the union to ensure that their rights are not infringed by any employers. Also, we should support to them.
Works Cited
Associated Press. "Labor Rights Group Accuses iPhone Maker of Abuses." New York Times. 29 July 2013. Web. 6 Nov 2013.
Link to article
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/30/technology/labor-rights-group-accuses-iphone-maker-of-abuses.html?_r=0