Apple has hit back at accusations that it’s failed to protect the rights of workers in its international supply chain.
Jeff Williams, SVP of Operations, said he and Tim Cook are ‘deeply offended’ by suggestion that the firm has not met its obligation to the workforce.
Last night, BBC Panorama aired an investigative broadcast probing into Apple supply chain factories, uncovering a host of worker’s rights issues at the facilities.
The report also revealed issues outside of factory grounds, including poor working conditions at Indonesian tin mines that supply to the Cupertino, California-based company.
As a result, Williams penned a letter to the entire UK workforce, obtained by The Telegraph, explaining why he thinks the report was unfair and misleading.
“I’d like to give you facts and perspective, all of which we shared with the BBC in advance, but were clearly missing from their program,” wrote the SVP.
Regarding the claims that Apple was facilitating terrible working conditions, in Indonesia, Williams responded with the following:
“Apple has publicly stated that tin from Indonesia ends up in our products, and some of that tin likely comes from illegal mines.”
“We spearheaded the creation of an Indonesian Tin Working Group with other technology companies. Apple is pushing to find and implement a system that holds smelters accountable so we can influence artisanal mining in Indonesia.”
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The letter continued: “Panorama also made claims about our commitment to working conditions in our factories.”
“We know of no other company doing as much as Apple does to ensure fair and safe working conditions, to discover and investigate problems, to fix and follow through when issues arise, and to provide transparency into the operations of our suppliers.”
Williams closed by saying: “I will not dive into every issue raised by Panorama in this note, but you can rest assured that we take all allegations seriously, and we investigate every claim.”
“We know there are a lot of issues out there, and our work is never done. We will not rest until every person in our supply chain is treated with the respect and dignity they deserve.”