'Apple's Broken Promises' Panorama on working conditions 'deeply' offends company head Tim Cook

The BBC asserted that many Chinese employees were working in excess of 60 hours every week and that Apple broke promises it made a year ago to combat the issue.

The company memo, leaked to the Telegraph, said: “Panorama's report implied that Apple isn't improving working conditions. Let me tell you, nothing could be further from the truth.

“Apple is dedicated to the advancement of human rights and equality around the world. We are honest about the challenges we face and we work hard to make sure that people who make our products are treated with the dignity and respect they deserve.

“BBC's Panorama program called those values into question. Like many of you, Tim and I were deeply offended by the suggestion that Apple would break a promise to the workers in our supply chain or mislead our customers in any way.”

The firm also came under fire for using tin from illegal Indonesian mines which utilise child labour, however Apple asserted that much of the goods are sourced through middlemen and that it was “appalled” by the news.

The statement added that Apple could “make sure all of our suppliers buy tin from smelters outside of Indonesia… but it would be the lazy and cowardly path, because it would do nothing to improve the situation for Indonesian workers," adding that Apple maintains a presence in the region to help “drive a collective solution”.

The firm is slowly cleaning up its act, in August it banned harmful chemicals Benzene and n-Hexane from its 22 iPhone and iPad manufacturing sites, most of which are based in China.

However, in September, a report from the China Labour Watch claimed that the Suqian technology manufacturing plant, a supplier of Apple and Dell, employed workers who suffered long-term exposure to harmful chemicals, were insufficiently trained and were charged for drinking water in their living quarters.