Edit: No, workers get wages when they do their job regardless of phone sales. Fairphone gives factory workers a bonus from phone sales in addition to the usual wages.
Unless we're talking about money that is quite literally not from any phone sales (do you count accessories and tied-in services?) e.g. laptops only, then that statement is not strictly true. I've never seen such a differentiation except for on a balance sheet. Apple (as other companies often do) sell many products of which the revenue from those sales pay for the wages of their employees. I don't think financial accounting here plays into the morals of underpaying people.
Using "the money to pay these people doesn't come from this line on a balance sheet it comes from that line" is not a justification for the, while unfortunately legal, unethetical employment conditions of others.
> Apple (as other companies often do) sell many products of which the revenue from those sales pay for the wages of their employees.
I thought it was the responsibilities of company which contracted by apple to assemble iPhone like Foxconn to distribute the wages, so the wages are fixed and not fluctuates based on phone sales? Or does Apple give some bonus from phone sales directly to Foxconn workers?
> Using "the money to pay these people doesn't come from this line on a balance sheet it comes from that line" is not a justification for the, while unfortunately legal, unethetical employment conditions of others.
I do hope that Fairphone is being honest about, in addition to sourcing from ethical supply chain, also improving factory workers, as evidenced from workers testimonies here[0]
Using "the money to pay these people doesn't come from this line on a balance sheet it comes from that line" is not a justification for the, while unfortunately legal, unethetical employment conditions of others.