Groups Accuse Apple Supplier of Labor Violations

Apple is facing fresh accusations of violations of labor rights and workplace safety at a supplier in China.

The allegations involve employees at a factory in the eastern China city of Suqian that is owned by Catcher Technology, a Taiwan company, and that makes metal casings for Apple iPads and for other consumer electronics companies. The employees are made to work excessive overtime and handle toxic chemicals without proper protective clothing, according to a report released by Green America, an environmental nonprofit group, and China Labor Watch, a workers’ rights group based in New York. Apple said its most recent annual audit of the Suqian plant, in May, had “found some concrete areas for improvement in Catcher’s operations, and we worked with Catcher to develop a corrective action plan.”