In the wake of the continuing public outcry against the deplorable working conditions at the factories of Apple’s China manufacturing partner Foxconn, labor watchdog group called Fair Labor Association (FLA) will assess the situation in the most controversial production facilities in Apple's supply chain in China.

In a Monday announcement, Apple revealed that the industry-funded labor monitoring organization FLA will evaluate the company’s Chinese facilities on the basis of an independent monitoring of the worker conditions inside Faxconn and other factories. Apple has become a permanent member of the FLA, which carriers out the standard time-to-time audits of the factories of its member companies.

Apple’s announcement about the evaluation by FLA comes within a month of the New York Times’ disclosure, in a number of articles, about the appalling working conditions at factories which manufacture Apple’s popular devices like the iPhone and the iPad.

While carrying out its audits at Apple’s Chinese supply chain, FLA will interview thousands of employees – workers as well as managers - working for Apple’s suppliers in China; and will also have an ‘unrestricted access’ in terms of inspecting the factories and worker dormitories.

Revealing that FLA has already commenced its first inspection at the Foxconn City plant in Shenzhen, China – a facility at which Apple iPhones and iPads are assembled – the group’s president Auret van Heerden said: “We welcome Apple's commitment to greater transparency and independent oversight, and we hope its participation will set a new standard for the electronics industry.”