Report: Apple assembly line hours illegal

Workers who assemble iPhones and iPads often put in more than 60 hours a week -- and sometimes work for a week straight -- in violation of Chinese law, according to the first independent labor audit of the Chinese factories where Apple products are made.

The report released Thursday by the Washington-based Fair Labor Association says Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., the Taiwanese company that runs the factories, will cut weekly work time to the legal Chinese maximum of 49 hours.

That limit is routinely ignored in factories across China. And the FLA found that many workers at the Hon Hai factories want to work even more overtime, so they can make more money. Hon Hai, also known as Foxconn, told the FLA that it will raise hourly salaries to compensate workers for the reduced hours.

Auret van Heerden, chief executive of the FLA, said it is common for workers in developing countries to seek more overtime, rather than less.

"They're often single, they're young, and there's not much to do, so frankly they'd just rather work and save," he said.

Average monthly salaries at the three factories inspected by the FLA ranged from $360 to $455. Foxconn recently raised salaries by up to 25 percent in the second major salary hike in less than two years.

Foxconn employs 1.2 million workers in China to assemble products not just for Apple, but for Microsoft Corp., Hewlett-Packard Co. and other pillars of the U.S. technology industry.

Apple has kept a close watch on suppliers for years, and in January joined the FLA -- the first electronics company to do so. It also commissioned the FLA to audit Foxconn.

"Our team has been working for years to educate workers, improve conditions and make Apple's supply chain a model for the industry, which is why we asked the FLA to conduct these audits," Apple said.

Labor unions have criticized Apple's use of the FLA, insisting that audits are a "top-down" approach. They say Foxconn's workers would be better served by organizing.

Apple chief executive Tim Cook visited a Foxconn factory in Zhengzhou, China, on Wednesday.

In February and March, FLA auditors visited three Foxconn complexes: Guanlan, Longhua and Chengdu. They employ a total of 178,000 workers. The auditors examined one years' worth of payroll and time records at each factory, conducted interviews with some workers and had 35,000 fill out anonymous surveys.

Heerden said his auditors found that Foxconn workers are the happiest with their jobs when they work 52 hours a week, well below the amount they often put in. Reducing their hours to 49 hours should help Foxconn retain workers in the long run, he said.