Apple denies use of forced labor at iPod plant

Apple gets all sorts of press coverage, but there is some they would probably rather not have. This definitely fits into that category. The company is fighting allegations that laborers at a Chinese iPod plant were being forced to work.

The company hastily investigated the situation and found no forced labor, but they did find that employees were exceeding the rules the company has set for the maximum number of work hours per day (60) and days per week (6). Those limits were exceeded 35% of the time, but Apple is taking steps to quickly fix the situation.

The issue became a problem for Jobs and Co. when British newspaper The Mail alleged, on Sunday, that workers were forced to work 15 hours per day and made the princely sum of $50 per month for their efforts. Apple’s probe found that workers were making at least the minimum wage for that region of China, which is $100 per month.