Apple’s announcement…that…Fair Labor Association, has begun inspecting its suppliers’ factories in China rekindled a debate over how effective the group has been in eliminating labor abuses…[M]any labor advocates say its efforts have barely made a dent in improving working conditions…Still, officials with the group…say it has helped ferret out some of the worst abuses, whether in China or El Salvador. Jorge Perez-Lopez, the association’s executive director, said it had made major strides, largely eliminating child labor at factories in China and Latin America...Critics argue, however, that the association and its corporate members should not suggest that its inspections are independent. “The F.L.A. does some good work, but we don’t think it’s appropriate for them to call themselves independent investigators because they’re in part funded by companies,” said Scott Nova, executive director of the Worker Rights Consortium…Mr. Perez-Lopez, though, said the inspections were independent, adding that the companies on the group’s board had no say in what factories were inspected or when. [also refers to Liz Claiborne, Ocean Sky, PT Nikomas, Nike]