04.D International Labour Law – Cases
Case
The US giant Apple Inc. manufactures a large part of its devices, including iPhones and iPads, in factories of the Taiwanese Foxconn Technology Group in China. In 2012, ABC News was able to visit the so-called «iFactory» and produced the following documentary. It is 14 years old – that is the point: watch it, then check what has changed since.
ABC News Nightline Special Edition – iFactory: Inside Apple (Foxconn), 2012 (Vimeo)
Task
Time: about 30 minutes, self-study. Use a chatbot of your choice (Claude, ChatGPT & Co.). Answer four questions:
- Standards: Which ILO standards of Chapter 04.04 are at stake in the film – working time, occupational safety and health, child labour, freedom of association?
- Ratification: Check in NORMLEX which of the ten fundamental Conventions China has ratified and which not. What does the answer mean for the workers in the film?
- Today: How does Apple check its suppliers now? Read Apple’s current Supplier Code of Conduct and its supply chain report with your chatbot: what has changed since 2012, and what has not?
- Why: Why does an international company care about ILO standards in a factory it does not own? Think of reputation, customers and the new supply chain laws in the EU and in Switzerland.
In class: we compare the answers to question 2 – NORMLEX gives one answer, the chatbots often another. The relevant chapters are 04.03 and 04.04.