A repair facility in Houston handling Apple and Lenovo products has been likened to a sweatshop by its workers.
The repair facility is owned by a company called CSAT Solutions. CSAT Solutions also counts Dell as one of its clients.
Among workers' complaints include low pay, unsanitary toilets, insufficient parking spaces, and a no-phone rule during work even when there is an emergency.
Sweatshop-Like Conditions in Repair Facility Handling Apple, Lenovo Products
The sweatshop-like conditions at a repair facility in Houston, Texas that handle Apple, Lenovo, and Della products are highlighted and listed in a report by Business Insider.
"There, people with knowledge of the facility said, low-wage workers toil, often in oppressive heat with grueling targets," the report reads.
According to Insider, "Workers said that CSAT Solutions is a 'sweatshop,' with one even likening the technicians who labor in its Houston facility to 'slaves.'"
Workers' complaints mentioned in the report include toilets "smeared with feces" that workers have to wait in long lines to use because there are not enough bathrooms and seldomly functioning air conditioning units.
Workers have told Insider that workers are not allowed to chitchat or use their phones, even when a personal or family emergency occurs. Technicians have also said that overtime has been prohibited starting this month.
Work hours are no better for those employed by the CSAT Solutions facility. Workers repair gadgets for up to 13 hours a day and are expected to complete one repair in less than an hour. Wages, according to the report, are at $14 per hour.
"'Sweatshop' would be the No. 1 way I would describe CSAT," a manager who worked for CSAT Solutions told Insider.
Related Article: Apple cares about workers health safety, bans benzene and n-hexane in final assembly process
CSAT Solutions to Investigate Workers' Complaints
In a statement issued to Insider, a representative of CSAT Solutions said that they "take allegations seriously and will ensure they are investigated thoroughly." The statement also says that necessary, immediate actions will be taken to maintain the company's "high standards."
The CSAT Solutions representatives insists that they "have extensive processes in place to maintain our high workplace standards and provide many different ways for employees to share any concerns they may have, including through anonymous channels,"
Apple Responds to Alleged Sweatshop-Like Conditions in Repair Facility
Apple counts CSAT Solutions as "a major piece of the technology giant's third-party repair network," according to the report by Business Insider.
In a statement sent to The Verge, Apple said that they take the allegations seriously and these will be investigated by the company. The statement also mentions that Apple has done three assessments of CSAT Solutions in recent years and members of the company have visited the repair facility in Houston "regularly."
"As always, our focus is on making sure that everyone in our supply chain is protected and treated with dignity and respect," the statement reads.
A previous report has detailed less-than-ideal working conditions for workers at an Apple production plant with a 24-hour workforce in China. The tech giant has also been accused of turning blind eye to working conditions of Apple workers in China and Indonesia.
This article is owned by Tech Times
Written by Isabella James
