> How does their HR handle those since we never hear about it in public?
Well, we do hear about their issues... when people start rioting (such as with Wistron in India in the last weeks) or jumping out of windows (Foxconn had to install nets to catch suiciders).
You're right, and it doesn't absolve Apple, and Apple knows that. Which is why Apple does what it can to ameliorate those kinds of labor issues. Those efforts aren't perfect, but Apple gives it a shot, at least. Apple isn't in a position to tell Wistron or Foxconn or anyone else exactly how to run their business. All Apple can do is measures like putting a supplier on probation until issues are addressed (like with Wistron lately), or (limited) wage demands, or threats to choose another supplier next time. But there are a very limited number of suppliers that can realistically fill demand, and none of them are paying $40/hour and building charter schools and condos for employees.
Apple has rules regarding labor for their subcontractors with penalties if they break them. It is not anything goes by any means. That does not mean some assholes wont try. Placing the blame solely on the back of Apple is absurd. Those factories don't exist in lawless places.
The other reason is that Apple has no choice. There's no other place that can produce what Apple needs to produce, in the quantities it needs. At any price.
No, please don't try to claim that work could be done in the US. It can't.
At the scale of Wistron and Foxconn we're not talking about "some assholes", we're talking about the companies' leadership.
Apple (and other companies) specifically source stuff out to have that "liability shield" while being able to extract as low prices as possible. If their "labor rules" were worth the paper they are written on they'd hire the people themselves.
That’s often the concept of subcontractors: you tell your subcontractor to not do legally and morally questionable stuff while both of you know that they will do that. You take most of the profits from that while taking no legal responsibility.
Usually this happens though when companies outsource their core business (construction or package delivery), so that applies not that well to Apple.
Well, we do hear about their issues... when people start rioting (such as with Wistron in India in the last weeks) or jumping out of windows (Foxconn had to install nets to catch suiciders).