Apple image

Workers assemble and perform quality control checks on MacBook Pro display enclosures at an Apple supplier facility in Shanghai.

A letter from Apple CEO Tim Cook to his employees suggests the company plans to address its supply-chain issues, including factory conditions and educating workers about their rights.

9to5mac.com posted portions of the letter, which comes as Chinese factories — where Apple's iPhones and iPads are made — are under scrutiny for appalling working conditions.

On Thursday, The New York Times highlighted how the employees in the government-subsidized factories cranking out iPhones and other Apple devices work excessive overtime, are often underage, have died in factory explosions and live in crowded dorms.

The NYT report offers a stark contrast to news that Apple has been selling millions of iPhones and iPads and raking in record profits.

In January, Apple disclosed a full list of its suppliers for the first time and said it had found continuing problems including working hours, overtime pay and the handling of hazardous waste.

One of the findings of the report said that Apple suppliers complied with its code of a maximum of a 60-hour workweek only 38 percent percent of the time. The report also revealed health and environmental violations and problems with children working in factories.

I wonder if the Times probe -- which must have been going on for weeks, maybe months before publication -- prompted Apple's revelations.