Apple has placed a major Taiwanese iPhone assembler on probation after the company was found to have violated labour laws regarding employing students at its Chinese factories.

The California-based tech giant said it was forced to suspend the company, Pegatron, after it violated its code of conduct by letting student staffers work night shifts and overtime and perform duties unrelated to their fields of study.

Pegatron also reportedly falsified documents to cover up the labour violations, according to the New York Times.

“The individuals at Pegatron responsible for the violations went to extraordinary lengths to evade our oversight mechanisms,” Apple said in a statement.

In order to meet deadlines for iPhone assembling, Chinese factories use students from local schools. There are strict laws protecting student labourers regarding how long they can work.

Employees line up for row call before their shift starts at a Pegatron Corp. factory in Shanghai, China, on Friday, April 15, 2016. 

It is not the first time Pegatron as been accused of labour abuses. Apple has stated it would not resume production until the company took corrective measures.

An executive at Pegatron in charge of the student employment program has already been terminated.

Upon discovering the violations, a representative from Pegatron said the company would “make appropriate arrangements for them to return to their homes or schools with proper compensation alongside all necessary support and care.”

Pegatron’s probation comes at a remarkably busy time for Apple production, with supply chain issues already plaguing the shipments of the iPhone 12 models.