The Spark

the Voice of
The Communist League of Revolutionary Workers–Internationalist

“The emancipation of the working class will only be achieved by the working class itself.”
— Karl Marx

Smartphones Manufactured under 19th Century Conditions

Feb 5, 2018

The esthetically beautiful casings of Apple’s smartphones are manufactured at a Catcher Technology plant in China by workers who stand for up to 10 hours a day in hot workshops, working under extreme noise, handling noxious chemicals sometimes without proper gloves or masks, according to Bloomberg News.

Workers express concern about safety issues and a lack of training. Standard tools and equipment for protection such as ear plugs, gas masks and proper rubber gloves are in short supply. One production line is required to crank out about 1,450 units during a 12-hour shift. Some workers have to quickly switch between at least four machines, increasing the risk of accidents.

One worker said "My hands turned bloodless white after a day of work. I only tell good things to my family and keep the sufferings like this for myself." This worker earns just over $2 an hour.

Apple leads the high-tech 21st-century industry with its pleasing, mind-boggling and eye-poppingly expensive smart phones. Apple touts that it is one of the most profitable and valuable companies of this earth. But, this profit and value is created by workers of this world working under 19th-century work conditions, who are paid miserably and who cannot afford the very phones they are manufacturing.