By AppleInsider Staff
Published: 05:50 PM EST
A pair of photos published earlier this week by the UK's Mail on Sunday appear to portray substandard work environments within Chinese manufacturing facilities that build versions of Apple Computer's popular iPod digital music players.
One photo shows shows a dormitory within E3 -- a Foxconn-owned manufacturing facility responsible for churning out iPod nanos -- packed tightly with cots and lined with wash buckets, lockers and clothes lines.
Yet another photo appears to show employees lined on one of the factory's roof tops as they prepare to begin work for the day.
"Every morning the workers, in beige jackets to denote their junior status, are taken up to the factory roof for a military-style drill," the
Mail reported in its article, titled "
iPod City."
Foxconn, also known as Hon Hai, is one of the world's largest IT companies. The Taiwanese company has been contracted by Apple to build products such as iPods, AirPort Express base stations and desktop computers.
According to the
Mail, Foxconn employs a "million-strong" staff and is currently investing $57 million in factories in Beijing and Suzhou that will "take advantage of China's cheap workforce."
On Wednesday, Apple issued a statement
in response to claims made by the
Mail on Sunday, saying it plans to investigate the matter.
Military-style drills on the roof top at Foxconn | Image copyright Mail on Sunday.
"Apple is committed to ensuring that working conditions in our supply chain are safe, workers are treated with respect and dignity, and manufacturing processes are environmentally responsible," the company said.
