Apple partner Foxconn improving factory conditions, says labor group

The FLA's investigations come as both Foxconn and Apple have received criticism over the years for allegedly allowing poor working conditions at Foxconn factories in China. Earlier this year, The New York Times published a story describing those conditions, which brought further criticism and resulted in Apple asking the FLA to audit Foxconn.

While Tuesday's report noted improvements made at Foxconn's factories, New York-based China Labor Watch said the FLA's investigations only looked at selected factories and not Apple's entire supply chain.

"The harsh working conditions are by no means isolated to just Foxconn, but exist throughout Apple's supply chain," the group said in a statement.

China Labor Watch's own investigations have also found that due to Foxconn's working hour reduction, employees have to complete the equivalent of 66 hours of work within a 60 hour weekly time frame. "As a result, the workers get lower wages, but have to work much harder and they are not satisfied with the current situation," the group said.