Apple notice confirms workers have the right to discuss wages, working hours after controversy

A new notice issued to employees at tech giant Apple has said that all workers have the right to discuss wages, hours and working conditions, a step forward for the company which has recently been embroiled in a controversy involving three female employees who challenged the company's secrecy and demanded changes to workplace regulations.

In a post on an internal site, Apple said its policies do not preclude employees from "speaking freely" about working conditions, according to a copy of the message viewed by Reuters. "We encourage any employee with concerns to raise them in the way they feel most comfortable, internally or externally," the post states.

Earlier in November, Apple's former program manager Janneke Parrish filed a filed with the U.S National Labour Relations Board (NLRB) alleging that she was terminated for she raised concerns over discrimination against women, the disabled and issues of pay equity and mental health. The NLRB investigates and prosecutes companies which violate employee rights.

In September, the tech giant fired Ashley Gjøvik for allegedly leaking confidential information. Gjøvik has filed multiple charges with the NLRB related to how Apple treated her and the broader workforce. Together, she and Parrish had begun a company blog called #AppleToo in order to challenge the company's secretive policies and bring out what they termed was discrimination and unfair practises.