Would you like to inspect the original subtitles? These are the user uploaded subtitles that are being translated:
1
00:00:09,000 --> 00:00:15,989
Tonight on Panorama, the truth about Apple and your iPhone.
2
00:00:16,000 --> 00:00:19,989
For the first time, secret filming from inside
3
00:00:20,000 --> 00:00:37,989
the high-security Chinese factories where Apple's products are made.
4
00:00:38,000 --> 00:00:43,989
The reality of life on the iPhone production line.
5
00:00:44,000 --> 00:00:58,989
That is surprising, and really shocking that they haven't been able
6
00:00:59,000 --> 00:01:03,989
to get this under control yet. With staff falling asleep as they work.
7
00:01:04,000 --> 00:01:06,989
When they fall asleep that way again and again, that means that
8
00:01:07,000 --> 00:01:09,989
the conditions of work are totally and physically intolerable.
9
00:01:10,000 --> 00:01:11,989
And we travel further down the supply chain to find
10
00:01:12,000 --> 00:01:18,989
children digging for the tin the industry needs.
11
00:01:19,000 --> 00:01:28,989
When you're up close, it is horrifying to see this.
12
00:01:29,000 --> 00:01:34,989
And find evidence that tin from illegal and dangerous mines
13
00:01:35,000 --> 00:01:41,989
The most valuable company in the world, that builds
14
00:01:42,000 --> 00:01:46,989
Described by those inside the machine.
15
00:01:47,000 --> 00:01:48,989
I just want the customers to know that Apple
16
00:01:49,000 --> 00:02:29,989
Apple is launching a new product - the iPhone 6 -
17
00:02:30,000 --> 00:02:42,989
Because the people round here you can see them cheering and
18
00:02:43,000 --> 00:02:47,989
I don't think any other company would do that.
19
00:02:48,000 --> 00:02:53,989
They do small things that make the customer feel a little bit happier,
20
00:02:54,000 --> 00:02:56,989
a little bit more excited about their products, and that's what
21
00:02:57,000 --> 00:03:02,989
At London's swanky Covent Garden store, there's
22
00:03:03,000 --> 00:03:09,989
Apple has an extraordinary relationship with its consumers.
23
00:03:10,000 --> 00:03:10,989
These people, they don't feel like customers,
24
00:03:11,000 --> 00:03:34,989
The iconic consumer accessories of our time,
25
00:03:35,000 --> 00:03:39,989
People describe Apple's products with words like:
26
00:03:40,000 --> 00:03:47,989
When have you ever heard anybody talk about other technology
27
00:03:48,000 --> 00:03:56,989
The stores are like boutiques - designs
28
00:03:57,000 --> 00:03:59,989
and products that people around the globe want to be seen using.
29
00:04:00,000 --> 00:04:07,989
I have an iPhone and a MacBook computer.
30
00:04:08,000 --> 00:04:15,989
Its image is part of its attraction and its success.
31
00:04:16,000 --> 00:04:18,989
It's almost like there is a kind of aura - that somehow Apple is
32
00:04:19,000 --> 00:04:25,989
better, in the things it produces, and the way it behaves.
33
00:04:26,000 --> 00:04:32,989
The products make Apple feel good too.
34
00:04:33,000 --> 00:04:39,989
Last year, Apple sold 169 million iPhones and 68 million iPads.
35
00:04:40,000 --> 00:04:56,989
And that makes them a spectacularly successful company.
36
00:04:57,000 --> 00:05:04,989
They made $39 billion profit last year, with $155 billion in the bank.
37
00:05:05,000 --> 00:05:10,989
All told, they're worth more than half a trillion dollars.
38
00:05:11,000 --> 00:05:14,989
Ralph Nader, who campaigns for more ethical business,
39
00:05:15,000 --> 00:05:20,989
says Apple should spend more of that money on its global workforce.
40
00:05:21,000 --> 00:05:25,989
Well, I would say that Apple is in the best position
41
00:05:26,000 --> 00:05:29,989
of any company in the world because of this massive surplus profit to
42
00:05:30,000 --> 00:05:33,989
clean up its supply chain and set an example for the rest of the world.
43
00:05:34,000 --> 00:05:36,989
But Apple says they're already doing more - that the business model is
44
00:05:37,000 --> 00:05:48,989
Apple doesn't just sell you its products.
45
00:05:49,000 --> 00:05:51,989
It offers an ethical production model.
46
00:05:52,000 --> 00:06:02,989
This promotional video is voiced by Apple's chief executive, Tim Cook.
47
00:06:03,000 --> 00:06:07,989
And an even stronger commitment to the environment for the future.
48
00:06:08,000 --> 00:06:12,989
He says Apple cares, from protecting people to protecting the planet.
49
00:06:13,000 --> 00:06:22,989
From environmentally to how you work with suppliers with labour
50
00:06:23,000 --> 00:06:26,989
questions, to your carbon footprint of your products, to
51
00:06:27,000 --> 00:06:33,989
the things you choose to support, to the way you treat your employees.
52
00:06:34,000 --> 00:06:36,989
Apple has made a series of promises about how the workers in
53
00:06:37,000 --> 00:06:46,989
Apple is clearly trying to make sure that it is seen to be an ethical and
54
00:06:47,000 --> 00:06:51,989
responsible company and therefore everybody's eyes are on the company
55
00:06:52,000 --> 00:06:55,989
to say, actually, are you fulfilling your purpose, are you being
56
00:06:56,000 --> 00:07:03,989
Apple seems to be the company that offers the whole package.
57
00:07:04,000 --> 00:07:07,989
But now, more than ever, we will work to leave
58
00:07:08,000 --> 00:07:15,989
Well, we want to investigate Apple's supply chain.
59
00:07:16,000 --> 00:07:25,989
The workforce, the raw materials and the factories.
60
00:07:26,000 --> 00:07:36,989
This is where the Apple dream is manufactured.
61
00:07:37,000 --> 00:07:40,989
China. Companies from around the world operate here, but an estimated
62
00:07:41,000 --> 00:07:52,989
An army manufacturing, testing and assembling.
63
00:07:53,000 --> 00:07:56,989
Without China, Apple wouldn't be the company it is today.
64
00:07:57,000 --> 00:08:01,989
No other country can provide labour so cheaply and make its products
65
00:08:02,000 --> 00:08:12,989
The products the world wants start their life
66
00:08:13,000 --> 00:08:15,989
at vast plants - like this one in the southern city of Shenzhen.
67
00:08:16,000 --> 00:08:25,989
It was 2010 when the world started to hear that
68
00:08:26,000 --> 00:08:51,989
14 workers killed themselves at Apple's biggest supplier,
69
00:08:52,000 --> 00:08:57,989
Long hours, harsh discipline and poor living conditions were all
70
00:08:58,000 --> 00:09:03,989
The company put up anti-suicide nets to make it harder for
71
00:09:04,000 --> 00:09:08,989
Foxconn says working conditions were not to blame,
72
00:09:09,000 --> 00:09:11,989
that wages have since been increased and working hours reduced.
73
00:09:12,000 --> 00:09:15,989
They say their new measures are saving lives.
74
00:09:16,000 --> 00:09:22,989
Apple's promise is to make things better.
75
00:09:23,000 --> 00:09:26,989
Since the suicides, it has published a set of standards to protect
76
00:09:27,000 --> 00:09:33,989
factory workers, spelling out how employees should be treated.
77
00:09:34,000 --> 00:09:37,989
I think what Apple's produced on paper all looks very good,
78
00:09:38,000 --> 00:09:41,989
in that they don't seem to shy away from reporting on the violations
79
00:09:42,000 --> 00:09:45,989
and the problems that they're finding in the factories.
80
00:09:46,000 --> 00:09:49,989
But they've got to go beyond these mere commitments
81
00:09:50,000 --> 00:09:53,989
on paper saying we're bound to do better, because it's not actually
82
00:09:54,000 --> 00:10:03,989
This company, Pegatron, now does some of the work.
83
00:10:04,000 --> 00:10:09,989
It has huge factories on the outskirts of Shanghai.
84
00:10:10,000 --> 00:10:13,989
Pegatron got Apple work after 2010 and the scandal of
85
00:10:14,000 --> 00:10:23,989
This is a company where the standards are supposed to be high.
86
00:10:24,000 --> 00:10:30,989
So have things really changed for the workers?
87
00:10:31,000 --> 00:10:35,989
A labour rights group has published critical reports about Pegatron
88
00:10:36,000 --> 00:10:56,989
and they say Apple must be aware of the problems.
89
00:10:57,000 --> 00:11:02,989
To test Apple's promise to protect workers, we need to go undercover,
90
00:11:03,000 --> 00:11:08,989
but that is not easy in an authoritarian state.
91
00:11:09,000 --> 00:11:19,989
Because of the risks, we will be protecting their identities.
92
00:11:20,000 --> 00:11:25,989
We want to know what life is like for an Apple worker.
93
00:11:26,000 --> 00:11:29,989
To get ready for the launch of the iPhone 6 and the Christmas
94
00:11:30,000 --> 00:11:33,989
rush, Pegatron is recruiting thousands more workers from
95
00:11:34,000 --> 00:11:39,989
Our reporter is at a recruitment centre hundreds
96
00:11:40,000 --> 00:11:55,989
He's fingerprinted, then asked to hand over his identity card.
97
00:11:56,000 --> 00:11:58,989
Every person in China must hold an ID card by law.
98
00:11:59,000 --> 00:12:13,989
When they got it, they didn't return it to me.
99
00:12:14,000 --> 00:12:23,989
So our reporter has only just joined Apple's supply chain, but
100
00:12:24,000 --> 00:12:30,989
the standards introduced to protect workers have already been breached.
101
00:12:31,000 --> 00:12:34,989
They state, "workers shall retain possession or control
102
00:12:35,000 --> 00:12:43,989
Without the ID, workers can't even buy a train ticket.
103
00:12:44,000 --> 00:12:47,989
Last year, we also found that workers at Apple factories were
104
00:12:48,000 --> 00:12:58,989
They responded publicly and yet, this year,
105
00:12:59,000 --> 00:13:04,989
It's a 28-hour coach journey from the recruitment centre to
106
00:13:05,000 --> 00:13:12,989
Workers are then sent to their new homes, dormitories around the site.
107
00:13:13,000 --> 00:13:16,989
To give you a sense of the scale of this plant:
108
00:13:17,000 --> 00:13:20,989
These enormous buildings here, that's where the workers live.
109
00:13:21,000 --> 00:13:24,989
These are buildings just to house the workers who've come from out
110
00:13:25,000 --> 00:13:34,989
80,000 people eat, sleep and work here.
111
00:13:35,000 --> 00:13:38,989
It's like a city - where most of the population lives
112
00:13:39,000 --> 00:14:00,989
Apple has clear rules about accommodation:
113
00:14:01,000 --> 00:14:05,989
Well, 12 people sleep in this cramped room.
114
00:14:06,000 --> 00:14:21,989
So that's another breach of Apple's promises.
115
00:14:22,000 --> 00:14:44,989
We've seen those pictures that you have filmed, with 12-bed
116
00:14:45,000 --> 00:14:54,989
Dormitories. What was it like in there?
117
00:14:55,000 --> 00:14:58,989
I mean, this is something that could literally change throughout Apple's
118
00:14:59,000 --> 00:15:00,989
supply chain in less than six months.
119
00:15:01,000 --> 00:15:04,989
I mean, they can throw up a factory and get production going in three
120
00:15:05,000 --> 00:15:07,989
months, when they've got orders and they've got the motivation to do so.
121
00:15:08,000 --> 00:15:09,989
Apple say the dormitory overcrowding has now been resolved.
122
00:15:10,000 --> 00:15:11,989
But listen to how the workers are treated.
123
00:15:12,000 --> 00:15:13,989
A supervisor from the recruitment agency says if
124
00:15:14,000 --> 00:15:53,989
Before our worker can start his new job, he must go through training.
125
00:15:54,000 --> 00:15:56,989
Hundreds gather. It's peak production
126
00:15:57,000 --> 00:15:59,989
and these sessions are happening almost every day.
127
00:16:00,000 --> 00:16:01,989
Apple told us factory managers are trained to behave appropriately,
128
00:16:02,000 --> 00:16:36,989
but we saw people being picked on. Doing as you are told
129
00:16:37,000 --> 00:16:39,989
continues with the admin. The forms seem to give workers
130
00:16:40,000 --> 00:16:44,989
choices - about doing shifts that involve standing
131
00:16:45,000 --> 00:16:44,989
for long hours or working nights. But in reality,
132
00:16:45,000 --> 00:17:17,989
there's no choice at all. If you ticked the box showing that
133
00:17:18,000 --> 00:17:20,989
you are not willing to give consent, he would ask us to do it again.
134
00:17:21,000 --> 00:17:25,989
If we did it again, he said he'd kick us out
135
00:17:26,000 --> 00:17:28,989
and not let us stay there. He said, if you don't do what
136
00:17:29,000 --> 00:17:34,989
the company asks you to do, what is the point of employing you here?
137
00:17:35,000 --> 00:17:39,989
It's an example of a fake audit trail.
138
00:17:40,000 --> 00:17:44,989
The paperwork will look as if all the workers have agreed to
139
00:17:45,000 --> 00:17:45,989
work nights. Apple say they investigate
140
00:17:46,000 --> 00:17:54,989
every concern brought to them. I mean, these are just ways to try
141
00:17:55,000 --> 00:18:00,989
to meet, very superficially, the demands of auditors, because
142
00:18:01,000 --> 00:18:05,989
it's all about trying to live up to promises that have been made without
143
00:18:06,000 --> 00:18:08,989
really changing business as usual. And what about the health and safety
144
00:18:09,000 --> 00:18:13,989
in these hi-tech factories, with chemicals and dangerous machines?
145
00:18:14,000 --> 00:18:17,989
Our reporters say they got no more than a couple of hours' training,
146
00:18:18,000 --> 00:18:21,989
followed by an exam they had to pass.
147
00:18:22,000 --> 00:18:26,989
And they will. This is what happens.
148
00:18:27,000 --> 00:18:35,989
Exam papers are handed out and the workers chant the answers in unison.
149
00:18:36,000 --> 00:18:37,989
She's more like a bingo caller than an examiner.
150
00:18:38,000 --> 00:18:50,989
And the questions are hardly tough. So, the paperwork shows
151
00:18:51,000 --> 00:18:52,989
workers have passed. Apple say they'll investigate,
152
00:18:53,000 --> 00:18:57,989
though they've seen no evidence of coaching.
153
00:18:58,000 --> 00:19:00,989
This is common. But if you ask Apple,
154
00:19:01,000 --> 00:19:03,989
they would tell you that the workers have signed a document which says
155
00:19:04,000 --> 00:19:06,989
they received 24 hours' training. The companies only need
156
00:19:07,000 --> 00:19:12,989
the signatures. Apple looks only at the signatures.
157
00:19:13,000 --> 00:19:17,989
Pegatron, who run the factory, say worker safety and well-being
158
00:19:18,000 --> 00:19:23,989
are "our top priorities". They set "very high standards"
159
00:19:24,000 --> 00:19:28,989
and conduct "rigorous training". External auditors regularly visit
160
00:19:29,000 --> 00:19:36,989
to find "areas for improvement". Pegatron say they "meet or exceed"
161
00:19:37,000 --> 00:19:39,989
customer codes of conduct. Our undercover teams are now
162
00:19:40,000 --> 00:19:44,989
ready for the shop floor. But it will be risky.
163
00:19:45,000 --> 00:19:49,989
These are high-security buildings in a surveillance state.
164
00:19:50,000 --> 00:19:55,989
It's the ultimate secret filming challenge.
165
00:19:56,000 --> 00:20:04,989
Our reporters face body searches and airport-style scanners.
166
00:20:05,000 --> 00:20:07,989
These are heart-stopping moments. They could be jailed
167
00:20:08,000 --> 00:20:10,989
if they're caught. On this occasion,
168
00:20:11,000 --> 00:20:14,989
the guard reaches for the camera. But he sees nothing suspicious.
169
00:20:15,000 --> 00:20:37,989
We're in. These are the first secret
170
00:20:38,000 --> 00:20:40,989
camera pictures from inside factories making Apple products.
171
00:20:41,000 --> 00:20:44,989
This is where your iPhone comes from.
172
00:20:45,000 --> 00:21:13,989
The workers are treated like members of a production army.
173
00:21:14,000 --> 00:21:19,989
We saw a culture of intimidation. This is a group of supervisors being
174
00:21:20,000 --> 00:21:42,989
shouted at by a senior manager. But one thing more than any other
175
00:21:43,000 --> 00:21:52,989
stood out on the factory floor - Apple's exhausted workforce.
176
00:21:53,000 --> 00:21:58,989
I have personally seen something very outrageous in the factory.
177
00:21:59,000 --> 00:22:04,989
Workers falling asleep while standing and operating the machines.
178
00:22:05,000 --> 00:22:10,989
I'd see many workers sitting or lying down to sleep
179
00:22:11,000 --> 00:22:15,989
during break time. This reporter worked in a factory
180
00:22:16,000 --> 00:22:23,989
that made computer parts for Apple. It was very noisy.
181
00:22:24,000 --> 00:22:30,989
But even with so much noise, he saw people so tired that they were
182
00:22:31,000 --> 00:22:35,989
falling asleep on their breaks. And sometimes, when they
183
00:22:36,000 --> 00:22:42,989
were supposed to be working. Apple say napping on breaks is not
184
00:22:43,000 --> 00:22:48,989
unusual and they look after workers. We're measuring working hours
185
00:22:49,000 --> 00:22:51,989
for 700,000 people. I don't know anybody else doing
186
00:22:52,000 --> 00:22:56,989
this and we're reporting it. And we're showing a level of care
187
00:22:57,000 --> 00:23:02,989
that I don't see in other places, and I think it's really important.
188
00:23:03,000 --> 00:23:10,989
But it was the same wherever we filmed.
189
00:23:11,000 --> 00:23:19,989
People exhausted at work. Here, one of our reporters films
190
00:23:20,000 --> 00:23:20,989
someone falling asleep as they work. And this iPhone 6 testing area
191
00:23:21,000 --> 00:23:33,989
has virtually no-one awake. After work,
192
00:23:34,000 --> 00:23:38,989
I would be so tired that I could fall asleep standing up on the bus
193
00:23:39,000 --> 00:23:40,989
on the way back to the dormitory. If the bathroom queue was too long,
194
00:23:41,000 --> 00:23:47,989
I'd fall asleep on the bed within two minutes.
195
00:23:48,000 --> 00:23:51,989
When they fall asleep that way again and again, that means that
196
00:23:52,000 --> 00:24:00,989
the conditions of work are totally and physically intolerable.
197
00:24:01,000 --> 00:24:07,989
So why are the workers so tired? Well, we found Apple's promises were
198
00:24:08,000 --> 00:24:13,989
being broken on the factory floor. All of our reporters are
199
00:24:14,000 --> 00:24:17,989
routinely on 12-hour shifts. The longest shift was 16 hours, the
200
00:24:18,000 --> 00:24:21,989
overtime was built in as standard. Our workers didn't seem
201
00:24:22,000 --> 00:24:25,989
to have much choice. It's a breach of Apple's promises.
202
00:24:26,000 --> 00:24:37,989
They say: "All overtime must be voluntary."
203
00:24:38,000 --> 00:24:43,989
We had to work more than 12 hours every day, from 8am till 8pm,
204
00:24:44,000 --> 00:24:48,989
sometimes 8:30pm, or 9pm.
205
00:24:49,000 --> 00:24:54,989
We had to leave our dormitories at 7am to travel to the factory.
206
00:24:55,000 --> 00:25:01,989
It was 8pm when I finished my work and I'd only get back at around 9pm.
207
00:25:02,000 --> 00:25:11,989
That is surprising, and really shocking that they haven't been able
208
00:25:12,000 --> 00:25:14,989
to get this under control yet because if they had the staff
209
00:25:15,000 --> 00:25:16,989
on the ground making sure that the factories were operating in
210
00:25:17,000 --> 00:25:19,989
compliance with the law, they could address these issues rather quickly.
211
00:25:20,000 --> 00:25:23,989
Overtime was routine, and it wasn't just the adult workers.
212
00:25:24,000 --> 00:25:24,989
The factory employs under-18s, and this 17-year-old was also
213
00:25:25,000 --> 00:25:59,989
working long night shifts. This is another
214
00:26:00,000 --> 00:26:01,989
of Apple's rules being broken. In Apple's promise to protect
215
00:26:02,000 --> 00:26:04,989
workers who are under 18, they state:
216
00:26:05,000 --> 00:26:07,989
'Juvenile workers shall not work overtime.
217
00:26:08,000 --> 00:26:18,989
Juvenile workers shall not conduct night work.'
218
00:26:19,000 --> 00:26:25,989
We saw payslips that suggest illegal working hours are commonplace.
219
00:26:26,000 --> 00:26:30,989
One undercover reporter was even asked to sign a form consenting
220
00:26:31,000 --> 00:26:33,989
to hours that would be a clear breach of Apple's 60-hour limit.
221
00:26:34,000 --> 00:26:37,989
Another reporter's long hours weren't shown on his payslip.
222
00:26:38,000 --> 00:26:44,989
His overtime payments were disguised as a "work bonus".
223
00:26:45,000 --> 00:26:49,989
So nobody could tell how long he'd worked from looking at his payslip.
224
00:26:50,000 --> 00:26:54,989
We informed Apple of this last year, but Apple never pays attention to
225
00:26:55,000 --> 00:26:57,989
it. The factories keep doing
226
00:26:58,000 --> 00:26:59,989
the same thing. They try to meet Apple's
227
00:27:00,000 --> 00:27:03,989
requirements. The problem is still there.
228
00:27:04,000 --> 00:27:06,989
Apple investigated. They said hours were correctly
229
00:27:07,000 --> 00:27:09,989
logged, but they've asked Pegatron to change the pay slips,
230
00:27:10,000 --> 00:27:13,989
to make them more transparent. Well, there's a lot of ways that
231
00:27:14,000 --> 00:27:17,989
the factories are able to kind of massage the books and it's all
232
00:27:18,000 --> 00:27:20,989
electronic and it's digitised, and so they can basically produce
233
00:27:21,000 --> 00:27:23,989
any kind of payroll they want, to present to the authorities,
234
00:27:24,000 --> 00:27:28,989
to present to the various brands that come through
235
00:27:29,000 --> 00:27:33,989
with their codes of conduct. Pegatron says workers are the
236
00:27:34,000 --> 00:27:36,989
"heart of our business" and that they are encouraged to
237
00:27:37,000 --> 00:27:41,989
"confidentially communicate any workplace issues".
238
00:27:42,000 --> 00:27:45,989
But all our reporters were completely overwhelmed by the work.
239
00:27:46,000 --> 00:27:48,989
Every time I got back to the dormitories,
240
00:27:49,000 --> 00:27:51,989
I wouldn't want to move. Even if I was hungry,
241
00:27:52,000 --> 00:27:56,989
I wouldn't want to get up to eat. I just wanted to lie down and rest.
242
00:27:57,000 --> 00:28:06,989
I was unable to sleep at night because of the stress.
243
00:28:07,000 --> 00:28:13,989
His working environment and those standards are controlled from the
244
00:28:14,000 --> 00:28:16,989
other side of the world, California. Last week,
245
00:28:17,000 --> 00:28:20,989
I was invited to Apple's HQ. It's six weeks since we told them
246
00:28:21,000 --> 00:28:23,989
of our findings, and I was hoping for an interview.
247
00:28:24,000 --> 00:28:29,989
So this is it. This is the home of Apple.
248
00:28:30,000 --> 00:28:34,989
I spent three hours meeting Apple's top people.
249
00:28:35,000 --> 00:28:38,989
So having come all the way to California to meet them, Apple have
250
00:28:39,000 --> 00:28:41,989
just told us that they won't be putting anyone up for interview.
251
00:28:42,000 --> 00:28:45,989
It's perhaps not what you would expect from
252
00:28:46,000 --> 00:28:48,989
a company that says it wants to be the most transparent in the world.
253
00:28:49,000 --> 00:28:51,989
Instead, we got a statement. Apple say they'll investigate
254
00:28:52,000 --> 00:28:57,989
our findings. They will examine
255
00:28:58,000 --> 00:29:00,989
"sleeping during production". On ID cards, Apple says they've done
256
00:29:01,000 --> 00:29:05,989
more than any company to prevent the widespread abuse
257
00:29:06,000 --> 00:29:09,989
of migrant workers. They work with suppliers to prevent
258
00:29:10,000 --> 00:29:13,989
"excessive overtime" and that Pegatron is averaging a
259
00:29:14,000 --> 00:29:15,989
"55-hour working week". We want to go deeper into Apple's
260
00:29:16,000 --> 00:29:27,989
supply chain. I've come to a place known
261
00:29:28,000 --> 00:29:34,989
as 'Tin Island'. This is Bangka, in Indonesia.
262
00:29:35,000 --> 00:29:39,989
Many of the world's electronic companies get tin from here.
263
00:29:40,000 --> 00:29:46,989
Offshore, an industrial flotilla is about to start dredging the seabed.
264
00:29:47,000 --> 00:29:53,989
The way they work is a 75-foot drill smashes down into
265
00:29:54,000 --> 00:29:57,989
the seabed and then pulls up the tin sand to be processed back here, but
266
00:29:58,000 --> 00:30:05,989
that is not great for the seabed and the coral when that drill arrives.
267
00:30:06,000 --> 00:30:09,989
The power of the dredgers churns the ocean.
268
00:30:10,000 --> 00:30:12,989
This is the water that that boat has just dredged through and it's
269
00:30:13,000 --> 00:30:25,989
This mining ship is owned by PT Timah, an Apple supplier.
270
00:30:26,000 --> 00:30:39,989
But Apple has promised to protect the environment.
271
00:30:40,000 --> 00:30:43,989
It says 'suppliers should act in environmentally responsible ways'.
272
00:30:44,000 --> 00:30:51,989
Campaigners say these underwater pictures show how
273
00:30:52,000 --> 00:31:02,989
PT Timah told us the damage is temporary and it takes
274
00:31:03,000 --> 00:31:12,989
Its mining activities are licensed by the Government.
275
00:31:13,000 --> 00:31:17,989
But environmentalists say Apple has been warned the mining
276
00:31:18,000 --> 00:31:24,989
Apple knows, because I was interviewed in person
277
00:31:25,000 --> 00:31:33,989
I also e-mailed them once and told them that this is the data about
278
00:31:34,000 --> 00:31:44,989
If a coral reef is covered in sediment due to offshore tin
279
00:31:45,000 --> 00:31:57,989
30% of the world's tin comes from Bangka province.
280
00:31:58,000 --> 00:32:04,989
Legal mining alone can't keep up with demand.
281
00:32:05,000 --> 00:32:09,989
We've been told of a place that's become a symbol
282
00:32:10,000 --> 00:32:31,989
You can hear the noise from a mile away.
283
00:32:32,000 --> 00:32:54,989
It looks and sounds like one enormous floating machine.
284
00:32:55,000 --> 00:33:02,989
The sound and the smell of diesel is completely overwhelming.
285
00:33:03,000 --> 00:33:04,989
This is a man-made island of absolute chaos,
286
00:33:05,000 --> 00:33:14,989
It's very, very unsafe, but it's all about tin.
287
00:33:15,000 --> 00:33:17,989
We've been told that tin ore from this site ends up with
288
00:33:18,000 --> 00:33:27,989
In bare feet, the men force a pipe into the seabed.
289
00:33:28,000 --> 00:33:32,989
The tin is sucked up to the deck and water is used to separate sand
290
00:33:33,000 --> 00:33:39,989
It's so loud, but that's what they're after.
291
00:33:40,000 --> 00:34:03,989
It's dangerous, but the workers say it's worth it.
292
00:34:04,000 --> 00:34:13,989
On land, whole areas of forest have been ripped away to get at the ore.
293
00:34:14,000 --> 00:34:18,989
This smashed landscape might seem a long way from Apple's shiny
294
00:34:19,000 --> 00:34:24,989
products, but the tin produced here is a key ingredient.
295
00:34:25,000 --> 00:34:29,989
Tin is used inside your mobile phone to solder the components together.
296
00:34:30,000 --> 00:34:33,989
So your laptop, your tablet and your mobile phone
297
00:34:34,000 --> 00:34:44,989
All electronics companies depend on tin.
298
00:34:45,000 --> 00:34:49,989
And just as at sea, on land, the legal mines can't keep up.
299
00:34:50,000 --> 00:34:53,989
We are very concerned about the situation on Bangka-Belitung.
300
00:34:54,000 --> 00:34:57,989
Particularly about the situation of the illegal miners.
301
00:34:58,000 --> 00:35:21,989
Follow the destroyed land and you'll find the illegal mines.
302
00:35:22,000 --> 00:35:30,989
Now Apple says it will drive 'the responsible sourcing of minerals'.
303
00:35:31,000 --> 00:35:34,989
But we've been told that tin ore from around here ends up
304
00:35:35,000 --> 00:35:45,989
The miners use jets of water to break it up.
305
00:35:46,000 --> 00:36:14,989
But if too much mud slips, a miner could be buried alive.
306
00:36:15,000 --> 00:36:20,989
When you're up close, it is horrifying to see this.
307
00:36:21,000 --> 00:36:25,989
Whilst we've been here, we've seen huge chunks of the walls
308
00:36:26,000 --> 00:36:33,989
And this is not just a kind of vague threat,
309
00:36:34,000 --> 00:37:09,989
We saw 14-year-old Wahid working in the mud.
310
00:37:10,000 --> 00:37:14,989
This is a rescue effort after a landslide.
311
00:37:15,000 --> 00:37:25,989
Once someone is buried, they rarely survive.
312
00:37:26,000 --> 00:37:29,989
A local doctor says the bodies show the same characteristics - broken
313
00:37:30,000 --> 00:37:52,989
I came to meet Sumiati because she lost her husband to the mud.
314
00:37:53,000 --> 00:37:58,989
The first body was recovered quickly, that was my husband.
315
00:37:59,000 --> 00:38:08,989
But as we talked, I discovered something even worse.
316
00:38:09,000 --> 00:38:15,989
That my husbands died because of landslides.
317
00:38:16,000 --> 00:38:25,989
Both husbands were buried at the mines.
318
00:38:26,000 --> 00:38:28,989
I was shocked when it happened the second time.
319
00:38:29,000 --> 00:38:39,989
I felt like I wanted to die. Just like the first time.
320
00:38:40,000 --> 00:38:45,989
Apple has confirmed it gets tin from Bangka.
321
00:38:46,000 --> 00:38:50,989
What's never been confirmed is whether illegal tin from sites
322
00:38:51,000 --> 00:39:08,989
Nobody knows the tin industry here better than this man.
323
00:39:09,000 --> 00:39:17,989
He's worked his way up through the industry,
324
00:39:18,000 --> 00:39:28,989
This house, all the money, I got from tin.
325
00:39:29,000 --> 00:39:34,989
He's a director of a processing plant, a smelter.
326
00:39:35,000 --> 00:39:38,989
Apple has published a list of the smelters that supply it with tin.
327
00:39:39,000 --> 00:39:45,989
He says all the smelters around here buy at least some
328
00:39:46,000 --> 00:39:53,989
The smelters can't tell whether it is legal or illegal.
329
00:39:54,000 --> 00:39:56,989
70% of the tin ingots exported overseas
330
00:39:57,000 --> 00:40:03,989
So this is gathered by collectors and then sold to smelters.
331
00:40:04,000 --> 00:40:15,989
At the smelter, there's everything from both large
332
00:40:16,000 --> 00:40:26,989
There's no way to know what is legal and what is illegal.
333
00:40:27,000 --> 00:40:30,989
What does he think of Apple's environmental promises to make
334
00:40:31,000 --> 00:40:53,989
So a boss at an Apple supplier says smelters can't distinguish
335
00:40:54,000 --> 00:41:00,989
Can that be true of other smelters on Apple's list?
336
00:41:01,000 --> 00:41:04,989
Well, Apple buys tin from the majority
337
00:41:05,000 --> 00:41:12,989
So if illegal tin is being mixed up, it's very likely to be in Apple's
338
00:41:13,000 --> 00:41:26,989
Getting confirmation from other smelters is not easy.
339
00:41:27,000 --> 00:41:38,989
To get more evidence, we need to talk to the middlemen.
340
00:41:39,000 --> 00:41:43,989
The collectors who buy illegal tin and supply legal smelters.
341
00:41:44,000 --> 00:41:54,989
To meet a contact, we head into rural Bangka.
342
00:41:55,000 --> 00:42:02,989
This collector buys from the area where we filmed
343
00:42:03,000 --> 00:42:06,989
the dangerous muddy mine, where the 14-year-old was working.
344
00:42:07,000 --> 00:42:10,989
He agrees to talk if we don't identify him.
345
00:42:11,000 --> 00:42:19,989
Do his gang supply the smelters that supply Apple?
346
00:42:20,000 --> 00:42:25,989
So, is this from legal mines or is this from illegal mines?
347
00:42:26,000 --> 00:42:28,989
Could you write down the smelters that you sell to?
348
00:42:29,000 --> 00:42:32,989
I just need to see them written down.
349
00:42:33,000 --> 00:42:48,989
Just to be clear, you buy from illegal mines, miners
350
00:42:49,000 --> 00:42:52,989
who mine in dangerous conditions, and you sell to Nurjana, a smelter
351
00:42:53,000 --> 00:43:02,989
Nurjana was not the only Apple smelter this collector supplied.
352
00:43:03,000 --> 00:43:08,989
I checked with Apple's list of suppliers.
353
00:43:09,000 --> 00:43:13,989
He told me he dealt with RBT and I didn't recognise that name,
354
00:43:14,000 --> 00:43:16,989
but that's PT-refined Bangka tin, so two out of the three smelters
355
00:43:17,000 --> 00:43:28,989
Apple says it goes "deep into its supply chain to enforce standards."
356
00:43:29,000 --> 00:43:31,989
But in only a few days, we found a connection
357
00:43:32,000 --> 00:43:39,989
But then we heard another gang were prepared to meet us.
358
00:43:40,000 --> 00:43:45,989
They felt more like criminals than businessmen.
359
00:43:46,000 --> 00:43:50,989
Once again, they tell us they buy from illegal miners and sell to
360
00:43:51,000 --> 00:44:00,989
So, your only smelter that you sell to is RBT?
361
00:44:01,000 --> 00:44:19,989
Do they ask questions about where the tin ore came from?
362
00:44:20,000 --> 00:44:25,989
So this criminal dealer says he's only been doing business with RBT,
363
00:44:26,000 --> 00:44:29,989
a smelter that supplies Apple. RBT says it doesn't
364
00:44:30,000 --> 00:44:31,989
take illegal tin. And the other smelter, Nurjana, says
365
00:44:32,000 --> 00:44:42,989
it abides by all the local laws. Apple blames corruption
366
00:44:43,000 --> 00:44:47,989
and government inaction. They told us they're
367
00:44:48,000 --> 00:44:50,989
the first company to talk to smelters about the shocking
368
00:44:51,000 --> 00:44:53,989
conditions, and they helped create a group to look at the problems.
369
00:44:54,000 --> 00:45:01,989
But not all the members of that group seem convinced.
370
00:45:02,000 --> 00:45:06,989
So far, there's been no concrete action.
371
00:45:07,000 --> 00:45:09,989
In reality, Apple should know that tin they use
372
00:45:10,000 --> 00:45:14,989
to produce electronic products originates from illegal mines
373
00:45:15,000 --> 00:45:24,989
and is cast, or made, in private smelters and then sold to Apple.
374
00:45:25,000 --> 00:45:30,989
Apple says it came here to Indonesia to investigate the mines.
375
00:45:31,000 --> 00:45:41,989
But we were only here for two weeks and we found something shocking.
376
00:45:42,000 --> 00:45:47,989
We've been told collectors who sell to a smelter on Apple's
377
00:45:48,000 --> 00:45:51,989
list get tin from this area. So all of the men and women who are
378
00:45:52,000 --> 00:45:54,989
working in the pit at the bottom of these cliffs are taking their lives
379
00:45:55,000 --> 00:45:58,989
in their hands, but here, we've found something really upsetting.
380
00:45:59,000 --> 00:46:02,989
This is about 70 feet of sheer sand and at the bottom, trying to start
381
00:46:03,000 --> 00:46:59,989
the little landslide, is a father and his 12-year-old son.
382
00:47:00,000 --> 00:47:05,989
We stayed on at the mine until dusk and watched
383
00:47:06,000 --> 00:47:10,989
as the tin ore was washed. It's the last work
384
00:47:11,000 --> 00:47:21,989
the miners do before the ore is sold on to collectors.
385
00:47:22,000 --> 00:47:26,989
And when we left, 12-year-old Rianto was still at work.
386
00:47:27,000 --> 00:47:34,989
And there seems little to stop the tin he's mining ending up
387
00:47:35,000 --> 00:47:38,989
in Apple's products. Apple says it's a complex situation,
388
00:47:39,000 --> 00:47:42,989
with tens of thousands of miners "selling tin through many
389
00:47:43,000 --> 00:47:46,989
middlemen". The simplest course would be to
390
00:47:47,000 --> 00:47:49,989
"refuse any tin from Indonesian mines".
391
00:47:50,000 --> 00:47:52,989
But that would do "nothing to improve the situation".
392
00:47:53,000 --> 00:47:57,989
Apple has chosen to "drive changes on the ground".
393
00:47:58,000 --> 00:48:11,989
Back in China, I am leaving the cities
394
00:48:12,000 --> 00:48:15,989
and heading for the countryside. 1,000 km from Shanghai,
395
00:48:16,000 --> 00:48:18,989
this is the village of Hou Jia Pu. It's harvest, but around here,
396
00:48:19,000 --> 00:48:31,989
the workers are all old. The young people have gone.
397
00:48:32,000 --> 00:48:33,989
These villages have kind of changed. There are young and old people,
398
00:48:34,000 --> 00:48:35,989
but most of the young adults have moved away,
399
00:48:36,000 --> 00:48:37,989
there's nothing for them. They head to the coast, the cities,
400
00:48:38,000 --> 00:48:43,989
the factories and the money. Zhu Yunhe has been a farmer here
401
00:48:44,000 --> 00:48:48,989
for 40 years. His sons have gone to the factories.
402
00:48:49,000 --> 00:48:54,989
His granddaughter is only 15, but she left this week to work
403
00:48:55,000 --> 00:48:56,989
for another electronics factory. In farming, they can only feed
404
00:48:57,000 --> 00:48:58,989
themselves and nothing else. So they need to go to
405
00:48:59,000 --> 00:49:06,989
factories to work. All the farmers here are
406
00:49:07,000 --> 00:49:09,989
in this situation. Many young people go to the
407
00:49:10,000 --> 00:49:22,989
factories to help their families. But it doesn't always work out.
408
00:49:23,000 --> 00:49:28,989
Shi Zhaokun was 15 when he left his village.
409
00:49:29,000 --> 00:49:34,989
That's too young to legally work at an Apple plant, but using
410
00:49:35,000 --> 00:49:39,989
his older cousin's ID card, he got a job on the iPhone production line.
411
00:49:40,000 --> 00:49:46,989
He knew that our family was very poor and other people work in
412
00:49:47,000 --> 00:49:50,989
the factories so he wanted to go. I told him he should wait
413
00:49:51,000 --> 00:49:56,989
for a couple of years, but he said, "Don't worry, let me go".
414
00:49:57,000 --> 00:50:04,989
He wanted to earn some money which would make life better, so he went.
415
00:50:05,000 --> 00:50:11,989
He was in one of the factories where our reporters are working and,
416
00:50:12,000 --> 00:50:14,989
like them, he worked long shifts. The family were told 280 hours
417
00:50:15,000 --> 00:50:20,989
in just four weeks. And at the end of that month,
418
00:50:21,000 --> 00:50:23,989
he died. My son was fit and healthy, but
419
00:50:24,000 --> 00:50:27,989
died after working in the factory. He didn't have any medical problems.
420
00:50:28,000 --> 00:50:39,989
I wouldn't have let him go if he was unwell.
421
00:50:40,000 --> 00:50:47,989
Mr Shi took me to his son's grave. The family are farmers
422
00:50:48,000 --> 00:51:07,989
and Zhaokun is buried in a field. Apple say independent medical
423
00:51:08,000 --> 00:51:12,989
experts found no evidence linking his death to working conditions.
424
00:51:13,000 --> 00:51:16,989
The family were given a one-off payment from the owners
425
00:51:17,000 --> 00:51:19,989
of the factory. But they had to sign
426
00:51:20,000 --> 00:51:26,989
a gagging order to say they wouldn't talk about their son's death.
427
00:51:27,000 --> 00:51:29,989
This is one of the factory's dirty tricks to shut the workers' mouths.
428
00:51:30,000 --> 00:51:33,989
They try to seal the mouth of the family in the hope of not
429
00:51:34,000 --> 00:51:37,989
damaging Apple's brand image. They worry this will have
430
00:51:38,000 --> 00:51:42,989
a negative impact. What do you think of the company?
431
00:51:43,000 --> 00:51:49,989
No-one should enter that factory. If I'd known, I'd never have let
432
00:51:50,000 --> 00:51:51,989
my boy work there. The workers
433
00:51:52,000 --> 00:51:57,989
in Pegatron earn the Shanghai minimum wage, about ?1 an hour.
434
00:51:58,000 --> 00:52:08,989
We were told they work long and illegal hours because it's
435
00:52:09,000 --> 00:52:11,989
the only way to make a living. Now, the cost of an iPhone in the US
436
00:52:12,000 --> 00:52:15,989
is $650. Analysts say Apple makes $248
437
00:52:16,000 --> 00:52:21,989
in profit on every phone. But factories like this only spend
438
00:52:22,000 --> 00:52:25,989
about $5 putting them together. Well, I think that most people would
439
00:52:26,000 --> 00:52:28,989
agree that it's OK to maximise profits, but when you're breaking
440
00:52:29,000 --> 00:52:31,989
the law, that should send a signal to the company that they need to
441
00:52:32,000 --> 00:52:34,989
take a new approach and they need to start looking at the problem
442
00:52:35,000 --> 00:52:41,989
a little bit more creatively and a little bit more proactively.
443
00:52:42,000 --> 00:52:47,989
It was the sheer volume of work that overwhelmed our reporters.
444
00:52:48,000 --> 00:52:54,989
One had to work 18 days in a row, despite repeated requests
445
00:52:55,000 --> 00:52:56,989
for a day off. He was working more than 70 hours
446
00:52:57,000 --> 00:53:02,989
a week. And that's yet another of Apple's
447
00:53:03,000 --> 00:53:09,989
broken promises. "Supplier shall limit the actual
448
00:53:10,000 --> 00:53:12,989
hours worked by each worker to no more than 60 hours per work week."
449
00:53:13,000 --> 00:53:21,989
All of our reporters were left exhausted by their shifts and
450
00:53:22,000 --> 00:53:24,989
by the way they were treated. When I was in the countryside, there
451
00:53:25,000 --> 00:53:31,989
was an ox at my parents' farm. We used the ox to plough the fields.
452
00:53:32,000 --> 00:53:42,989
If the ox refused to plough, it would be whipped until it did.
453
00:53:43,000 --> 00:53:47,989
It was similar in the factory. If we did not do as we were told,
454
00:53:48,000 --> 00:54:06,989
we would get insulted and scolded. It wasn't just the paid work.
455
00:54:07,000 --> 00:54:12,989
Many workers had to go to meetings like this before and after shifts
456
00:54:13,000 --> 00:54:14,989
without being paid for the time. Apple promises,
457
00:54:15,000 --> 00:54:20,989
'All meetings must be within the regular eight-hour shift'.
458
00:54:21,000 --> 00:54:22,989
They're not. Apple says
459
00:54:23,000 --> 00:54:28,989
if it discovers unpaid meetings, it expects suppliers to backdate pay.
460
00:54:29,000 --> 00:54:43,989
But we found the meetings and the workload left a shattered workforce.
461
00:54:44,000 --> 00:54:45,989
And that's dangerous. Listen to what one
462
00:54:46,000 --> 00:55:07,989
supervisor tells his team. This is quite dangerous
463
00:55:08,000 --> 00:55:12,989
because sleeping while working is likely to result in an injury.
464
00:55:13,000 --> 00:55:15,989
The reason why industrial injuries are numerous in China is mainly
465
00:55:16,000 --> 00:55:22,989
due to workers' exhaustion. Workers' fatigue leads
466
00:55:23,000 --> 00:55:25,989
to industrial injuries. And yet when one of our reporters
467
00:55:26,000 --> 00:55:26,989
tried to resign, saying he couldn't handle the hours anymore,
468
00:55:27,000 --> 00:56:07,989
he was told he should toughen up. Pegatron say they are
469
00:56:08,000 --> 00:56:10,989
"carefully investigating Panorama's claims" and "will take all necessary
470
00:56:11,000 --> 00:56:15,989
actions" if any deficiencies are found at their facilities.
471
00:56:16,000 --> 00:56:20,989
Apple told us they 'strongly disagree' with our conclusions.
472
00:56:21,000 --> 00:56:26,989
No other company is doing as much to ensure 'fair
473
00:56:27,000 --> 00:56:32,989
and safe working conditions.' They require employers to treat all
474
00:56:33,000 --> 00:56:35,989
workers with 'dignity and respect'. They check the hours of
475
00:56:36,000 --> 00:56:39,989
'more than one million workers', and audit hundreds of workplaces.
476
00:56:40,000 --> 00:56:46,989
They see 'continuous and significant improvement', but add,
477
00:56:47,000 --> 00:56:54,989
'We know our work is never done'. But this is what we found.
478
00:56:55,000 --> 00:57:00,989
This is where Apple products come from.
479
00:57:01,000 --> 00:57:11,989
These are the people who make them. I just want
480
00:57:12,000 --> 00:57:16,989
the customers to pay attention to Apple's appalling work conditions.
481
00:57:17,000 --> 00:57:20,989
Apple has been championing itself as a perfect enterprise,
482
00:57:21,000 --> 00:57:21,989
but it is all a facade. I don't think they care
483
00:57:22,000 --> 00:57:38,989
about the workers at all. If you know that there's wrongdoing
484
00:57:39,000 --> 00:57:41,989
in your supply chain, if you know the standards are not being applied,
485
00:57:42,000 --> 00:57:46,989
if you are profiting from all this, you have an obligation to do
486
00:57:47,000 --> 00:57:50,989
something about it. But they say that they, they want
487
00:57:51,000 --> 00:57:53,989
to do all that they can to protect workers in their supply chain.
488
00:57:54,000 --> 00:57:55,989
Are they serious? Well, they have limited ambition
489
00:57:56,000 --> 00:57:58,989
if that's what they're desiring to do, because it's not working
490
00:57:59,000 --> 00:58:07,989
and the proof is the conditions in those factories and in those mines.
491
00:58:08,000 --> 00:58:14,989
Apple's model works. Ten million iPhone 6s sold
492
00:58:15,000 --> 00:58:17,989
in its first weekend. But we went deep into their supply
493
00:58:18,000 --> 00:58:23,989
chain, to test Apple's commitment to the environment and to its workers.
494
00:58:24,000 --> 00:58:28,989
For the children digging in the mud and sand
495
00:58:29,000 --> 00:58:31,989
and the workers falling asleep on the iPhone production line,
496
00:58:32,000 --> 00:58:34,000
there are too many broken promises.
48486
Can't find what you're looking for?
Get subtitles in any language from opensubtitles.com, and translate them here.