Apple Violated US Labour Law With Workplace Leaks Policies
- Feb 7, 2023
- 1 min read
Written by: Katie Scott, business reporter Brainz Magazine
Apple's rules around leaks violate workers' rights according to a complaint that is being lodged by The National Labor Relation Board (NLRB) in the US.
In a statement, a spokesperson from the NLRB said that Apple's actions as well as statements from executives "tend to interfere with, restrain or coerce employees" from exercising their rights.
The complaint has come about after two former employees - Cher Scarlett and Ashley Gjøvik - spoke out. Scarlett said in a statement that the company’s work rules "prohibit employees from discussing wages, hours or other terms or conditions of employment," and this is in violation of labour laws.
It was an email sent by CEO Tim Cook that was flagged by Gjøvik. In it, Cook said: “...we do not tolerate disclosures of confidential information, whether it's product IP or the details of a confidential meeting... people who leak confidential information do not belong here." This message was sent out after a journalist, Zoe Schiffer, live-tweeted an internal meeting.
The NLRB will issue a complaint against Apple unless the company settles. Apple has yet to comment, adds Engadget.
