Dying for your Device

It must be said Apple has defended itself as a good global citizen and has disputed the allegations in this BBC Panorama program, aired on ABC 4 Corners tonight. But this program must be watched by anyone who owns an Apple (or other) device and/or is concerned about global worker safety and corporate ethics. And I out myself right now as a 25 year devotee of the Macintosh/ Apple brand. But face it: there is plenty of evidence that safety crimes and abuses have existed within the enterprises which have manufactured our phones and tablets. The question is raised here is whether Apple as a corporation has successfully addressed them in companies contracted to make Apple products. Evidently workers have died, including children, this seems to be continuing, and it looks like Apple's targeted safety regulations are being ignored. Add to this bundle of knowledge the findings of SACOM, the Hong Kong based Students and Scholars against Corporate Misbehaviour, who amongst other actions have publicised the notorious and heart-breaking suicides of FoxConn workers in the communications devices industry - workers producing devices for example for Apple and Hewlett Packard. So the plea is, don't only think before you knee-jerk upgrade; act to protect workers and their families: lobby your global corporate icons about their actions to protect the workers who labour for their profit, and for your technological indulgence. Who died so that you could tweet? [ cross-posted from rose webb at http://northcoastlabourhistory.typepad.com/north_coast_ohs_and_safety/]