Foxconn's worker hours still excessive
Foxconn, one of the largest suppliers for Apple and other big tech companies, has drawn harsh criticism from labor activists in the past few years.
A watchdog group says conditions at facilities of Apple supplier Foxconn have improved in recent months, though the factories are still in violation of Chinese laws on work hours.
In a report released Thursday, the Fair Labor Association said three Foxconn facilities in China employing an estimated 170,000 workers have made 'steady progress' in improving working conditions over the past 15 months. The FLA worked with the company to develop an action plan to address the issue.
The group said Foxconn had constructed additional exits and restrooms at the three facilities, and the company hsd revised its policies to limit overtime hours to 36 per month and three per day.
But the report found that workers at the factories worked more than 60 hours a week on numerous occasions between March and October of this year and had exceeded the monthly overtime limit.
'Progress has been made with respect to hours of work, but the three factories are not in compliance with Chinese labor law,' the FLA said.
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The FLA is a non-profit organization that formed in 1999 in the wake of a series of sweatshop scandals involving Nike and other apparel makers. Nike became one of the founding members of FLA, which requires its members to meet a labor-standards code of conduct.
The FLA performs audits of its members' facilities to monitor labor compliance, but it has also been criticized by labor activists for drawing much of its funding from the same companies it oversees.
Foxconn, one of the largest suppliers for Apple and other big tech companies, has drawn harsh criticism from labor activists in the past few years following a spate of suicides at its facilities. A Pulitzer Prize-winning series published last year by The New York Times documented the hardships faced by Foxconn workers, including long hours and unsafe conditions.
In a report released last year, the FLA found dozens of major labor-rights violations at Foxconn facilities, including excessive overtime, unpaid wages and salaries that aren't enough to cover basic living expenses.
In response, Apple and Foxconn pledged to implement reforms including a reduction of working hours, full payment of overtime wages and improved safety procedures.
Foxconn and Apple did not immediately respond to requests for comment Thursday.
The news comes amid scrutiny of fellow Apple supplier Pegatron Corporation, which is based in Taiwan. Apple recently dispatched a team of medical experts to inspect a Pegatron factory in China following reports that a number of workers from the facility have died in recent months. 
First Published: December 12, 2013: 2:19 PM ET
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