Quanta has come under fire following a labour watchdog’s undercover investigation into an alleged abuse of student labour at the company’s Chongqing manufacturing facility.
Students as young as 16 years old have reportedly been forced into working 12-hour shifts on Quanta’s production line under threat of the withdrawal of their educational funding, or not being allowed to graduate.
Non-profit organisation Students and Scholars Against Corporate Misbehaviour (SACOM) investigated the Quanta factory, which supplies some of the biggest computer manufacturers in the world including Sony, HP, Acer and Apple, in late 2016 and mid-2017.
Quanta has vehemently denied the allegations. Meanwhile, Sony and Acer have refused to comment on the report, while Apple responded to a request for comment from The Guardian by maintaining that it has no business connection to the Chongqing facility.
Analyst Comment
This investigation isn’t the first time a Chinese manufacturer has found themselves in hot water. Over the past five years, companies including Foxconn and Wistron have faced similar allegations of misappropriating student labour. (AF)
