Apple Probes New Violations at Troubled China Plants

Apple is again feeling the heat for the conditions at its Chinese factories, but this time it's Pegatron that may be to blame. A US-based advocacy group claims the supplier's plants, which are taking on more and more Apple production, have "benefited from and relied upon labor violations to increase their competitive edge," CNN reports. China Labor Watch lays out the violations, ranging from pollution to unpaid overtime, in a new report compiled after undercover investigators spoke with almost 200 workers from three factories between March and July.

Workers also complained of tight living quarters, packed cafeterias, workweeks over 60 hours, and recruitment firms illegally taking portions of their wages, the group said, per Reuters and the Wall Street Journal. Though Apple has looked into the plants—even made surprise audits within the last 18 months—a rep says the claims "are new to us and we will investigate them immediately." If the audits find any wrongdoing, "we will require that Pegatron reimburse (workers) in full," says the rep. (More Apple stories.)