The recent death of a 15-year-old employee placed the spotlight on Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) and one of their suppliers. Pegatron Corporation (TPE:4938) recently came out to say they use a three-step identity verification process to confirm that their employees meet age requirements.
The first step is the applicant’s Resident Identity Card, a card that is similar to the identification card in the United States, is scanned to check authenticity. Then face recognition software is used. This compares the face on the card with applicant’s face. Next, the applicant’s name is checked on both local and national police databases.
China’s economy will continue to grow and that means it will only become more difficult for manufacturers who have to fill up their assembly line seats with employees.
Foxconn faced similar criticisms
Another Apple product manufacturer that has taken a lot of heat in the last few years. As the Wall Street Journal elaborated in a recent report, “Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)’s largest supplier, Foxconn, has previously been found to have hired underage interns for its assembly line. A report by the Fair Labor Association last week said that Foxconn Technology Co., Ltd. (TPE:2354) was still exceeding the legal overtime hours, but auditors didn’t find interns since January. Foxconn Technology Co., Ltd. (TPE:2354) said it welcomed the audit report, and that it demonstrated substantial progress at the company, although “we recognize that there is more to be done.” Pegatron has become a more important Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) supplier in the past year, and the scrutiny of labor groups over the company’s factories has grown accordingly. The labor activist group China Labor Watch first flagged Mr. Shi’s death last week.”
Apple brought over their own doctors to the plant
Last week, Shi Zhaoukun died a month after obtaining employment at Pegatron Corporation (TPE:4938). He died of pneumonia. Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) brought over their own doctors to the plant, and it was found that his death had nothing to do with working conditions at the factory.
