"We are forced by our school to go to work there"

Apple's main Asian vendor used high school students who illegally worked overtime to assemble the new iPhone X as Apple struggles to keep up with the demand for its newest product, according to a published article in the Financial Times.

A total of six high school students have told the British daily that they typically work 11 hours a day to assemble iPhone X phones at a plant in Zhengzhou, China, which according to Chinese law is illegal overtime for high school practitioners . The six high school students are part of a group of about 3,000 high school students from Zhengzhou Urban Rail Transit School who were sent to work at a local factory run by the Apple supplier, Taiwan's Hon Hai Precision Industry, under the name Foxconn.

The 17- to 19-year-old high school students were told that the three-month practice at the factory is a 'work experience' needed to graduate.

'We are forced by our school to go to work there. Work has nothing to do with our studies" said an 18-year-old high school student who is preparing to become a train attendant and claims to daily assemble up to 1,200 cameras for the iPhone X.

In reply, Apple and Foxconn admitted that they have found cases where high-school students who have been included in internship programs have worked overtime, but have indicated that they have taken steps to remedy these situations. In addition, both companies claim that high school students work on a voluntary basis.

According to a Foxconn senior employee, the Zhengzhou plant typically hires high school students every year in the busiest time of the year between August and September. These engagements can increase the number of workers from 100,000 to 300,000 employees that produce up to 20,000 iPhone phones per day. This year, however, the need for seasonal workers was higher, the source quoted by the Financial Times said.