Apple sends in experts to probe employees' deaths_美文

Apple sends in experts to probe employees' deaths

The Taiwan company said in a statement, "Pegatron has strict measures in place to verify workers' ages before and after they are hired, and we work with health and safety experts to provide a safe working environment for each and every worker."

The young worker who died in October used his 21-year-old cousin's identification to apply for the job, Pegatron said, adding that the factory did not know he was underage.

This is not the first time Pegatron has been targeted by China Labor Watch.

In July, the organization said it found at least 86 violations at Pegatron factories in Shanghai and the neighboring city of Suzhou.

The violations included demanding employees work 66-69 hours a week, beyond the legally required 49-hour maximum, without overtime being paid.

Pegatron was also accused of using underage workers as interns who worked the same long hours at the factories.

However, Feng Xiliang, a labor rights expert at Capital University of Economics and Business, told China Daily that many workers at electronics companies are willing to work overtime because they want to earn more money.

"Regular wages at most plants that manufacture electronics products are usually low, so young workers must work longer to earn more," Feng said, adding that the younger generation of migrant workers has stronger awareness of their rights and is calling for a more powerful labor union to protect their interests.