Apple sent a very surprising message to its workers last Friday reminding them of their right to talk about wages, working hours and working conditions.
The warning comes as a number of employees have urged Apple to ensure there are no unfair pay gaps within the company.
“We encourage any employee with concerns to raise them in the way they feel most comfortable, internally or externally,” the post said.
Employees who had spoken out in the past ended up losing their jobs, said former Apple program manager Janneke Parrish.
Parrish was fired after playing a key role in employee activism.
Silicon Valley workers are gradually opening up to talk about their working conditions and the impact of technology on today’s society.
Just last week, prominent activist Cher Scarlett, who works as a software engineer at Apple, tweeted that she was parting ways with the tech giant.
Scarlett said Apple stopped all discussions about employee pay and later filed a lawsuit against her former employer with the National Labor Relations Board, which has since been settled out of court.
Scarlett and Parrish were both heavily involved on “#AppleToo,” a group in which current and former employees of the tech giant shared stories that allegedly reflected harassment and discrimination.
Apple has always been known for its secrecy about keeping its new products under wraps.