Apple vows to address 'sweatshop' style conditions in factories

The concept of big, successful western corporations getting wrapped up in child labour scandals in the Far East is hardly a new one, though not many take the trouble to reveal the details for all the world to see.

That is, however, exactly what Apple has done. A report into working conditions in its 102 manufacturing plants worldwide has found that at least eleven 15-year-old children have been on the company's payroll.

[Editor's note: to clarify, the factories in question aren't owned by Apple.]

This is the second time since 2008 that Apple has unearthed child labour within its factories, but the company said it's already looking into ways to resolve the situation.

"In each of the three facilities, we required a review of all employment records for the year as well as a complete analysis of the hiring process to clarify how underage people had been able to gain employment," Apple said in its report.

It continued. "When we investigated, we uncovered records and conducted worker interviews that revealed excessive working hours and seven days of continuous work."

Indeed, the child labour scandal is just part of a wider insight into the poor conditions found in some of the giant's factories. Though Apple refused to admit just where the three sites involved are located - The Telegraph speculating that the company's operations in China are the most likely candidates - it did use the report to cast light on some other of its misdemeanours.

As a result, we also know that more than half of Apple's factories were allowing staff to work beyond 60 hours a week in breach of Apple's own guidelines, not to mention Chinese labour law, which restricts workers to just 45 hours a week.

In addition, only 65 per cent of the sites managed to pay employees the correct wages - many falling below China's minimum wage of 800 yuan a month: around £76.