Foxconn is a Taiwanese multinational electronics company that is known for manufacturing products for companies such as Apple, Dell, and Hewlett-Packard. In 2010, the company faced controversy over a series of employee suicides at its factory in Shenzhen, China. The suicides garnered international attention and raised concerns about the treatment of Foxconn's workers.
The first suicide occurred in January 2010, when a 25-year-old employee jumped to his death from his dormitory. Over the next several months, a total of 18 Foxconn employees committed suicide, with most of them jumping from their dormitories or factory buildings. The suicides sparked outrage and led to investigations into the working conditions at Foxconn's Shenzhen facility.
Foxconn faced criticism for its grueling work schedule, which required employees to work long hours for low pay. The company was also accused of having a culture of strict discipline and harsh punishment for those who failed to meet production quotas. Many workers reported feeling overwhelmed and stressed, with some saying that they were barely able to sleep or eat due to the demands of their work.
In response to the suicides, Foxconn implemented a number of measures to improve the well-being of its workers. These included increasing wages, reducing working hours, and providing additional support and counseling services. The company also installed safety nets around its factory buildings to prevent further suicides.
Despite these efforts, there have been instances of suicide at Foxconn's factories in the years since 2010. In 2012, a 23-year-old Foxconn employee committed suicide at the company's factory in Chengdu, China. In 2017, a 21-year-old Foxconn employee died after jumping from a building at the company's factory in Taiyuan, China.
The Foxconn suicides highlight the importance of ensuring that workers are treated with dignity and respect, and that their physical and mental well-being is prioritized. Companies have a responsibility to provide their employees with safe and fair working conditions, and to address any issues that may arise in a timely and effective manner. It is crucial that we recognize the human cost of the products we consume, and that we hold companies accountable for the treatment of their workers.
Foxconn: from Worker Suicides to Plastic Workers
The goal is to expand the use and creation of innovation to become a high-tech hub by 2049. Nevertheless, with the focus on Apple, Steve Jobs gamely insisted that the factory, with swimming pools and cinemas, was far better than required. Although she eventually went back to her family in the country, she can't be a farm worker either. Foxconn, which makes products for Apple, Microsoft, and others, said today that it had Earlier this month, workers at Foxconn's Xbox factory in China grew disgruntled after their requests for pay raises were denied. A smaller portion of those employees elected to resign.
Inside Foxconn City: A Vast Electronics Factory Under Suicide Scrutiny
Retrieved 21 September 2021. In her first month, Yu had to work two seven-day weeks back to back…She was swapped between day and night shifts and kept in an eight-person dormitory where she barely knew the names of her fellow sleepers. Quotations from Foxconn's CEO, Terry Gou, adorn the walls: "Growth, thy name is suffering," and "Execution is the integration of speed, accuracy and precision. Her roommates also were from different parts of China, so there were significant linguistic barriers. Last month a coalition of Chinese environmental groups criticised Apple in a report that alleged the company had not taken responsibility for health and environmental issues at its suppliers and contractors in China. Foxconn also established an employee care center to give free consultation to workers with emotional problems. Those deaths have prompted the company to say that it will install "suicide nets" around the factory to discourage employees from jumping from buildings.
Foxconn employee commits suicide after iPhone prototype loss
Working as a team to protect themselves and their interviewees, Jenny Chan and her colleagues interviewed Tian Yu, a 17-year-old-girl who had attempted suicide after her first month at Foxconn. The death is still being investigated, but some sources in the West have speculated that the death may have been a suicide. However, they have been instructed to sit on one-third of the chair "to remain nimble. She has managed to learn to brush her teeth, dress herself and sit up and has started to weave slippers to earn a little income. Retrieved 20 December 2014. However, one expert claimed that employees were treated comparatively well at Foxconn. Everyone pledged to do better and the story went away.
Foxconn Employee Death: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know
One female worker who examines iPad screens and packages the devices in bags said she was frequently exhausted after her hourly production target was increased by more than 10 percent. Workers of the plant Although, under the same company name, the Wuhan protests are separate from the Guanlan, Longua and Chengdu - the factories at the heart of the Apple controversies. In 2012, the company opened itself up to audits by the Fair Labor Association and vowed to limit overtime, improve safety and set up more independent unions at its factories. The company came under closer watch following an explosion that rocked one of its factories last year. Use of high-energy electrical appliances such as hair dryers, kettles, and laptops is prohibited. According to a separate report from Opens in a new window , another worker from Foxconn's Chongqing, China facility was found dead on May 11 after jumping from a building.
Archived from the original on 26 September 2013. Any reports to the contrary are totally inaccurate. A Hon Hai Employee Died on Sunday Night Play A Rare Look Inside Foxconn's Latest Facility July 14 Bloomberg — The world's largest consumer electronics producer, Foxconn, unveiled a new campus in the relatively-undeveloped city of Guiyang last week. Eastern with comment from Foxconn. Play Iphone 6 image reportedly from Foxconn — China Beat — April 1 ,2014 — BONTV China BON, China, Video, News, Iphone 6, apple, ipad, mini, ipod, iphone5s,launch 2014-04-02T03:25:29. Retrieved 30 May 2010. Yet its workers have compared it to a Above: Employees pass a security station before entering or leaving Foxconn City.
But the Apple team also recommended the contractor take additional steps, such as increased training and monitoring of staff at the care centre. A team from Apple is independently evaluating the steps they are taking to address these tragic events, and we will continue our ongoing inspections of the facilities where our products are made. English name Chinese name Sex Age Suicide attempt date Description Status Mr. Approximately 200 protesters in the Wuhan plant voiced concerns "workplace adjustments," however protests mostly involves new workers of the plant," "The dispute has already been settled after some negotiations involving the human resources and legal departments as well as the local government," Simon Tsing, spokesperson for Hon Hai Precision Industry, told Reuters. This does not make sense for an economy whose comparative advantage is in labor-intensive production.
Foxconn workers threaten suicide amid protest over wages
Apple is the second-most profitable company in the Global Fortune 500. Retrieved 26 May 2010. Their dreams of professional advancement give way to exhaustion. Journal of Business Ethics. She had to take a bus to another factory of 130,000 people where she had to try to find someone to locate her wage card. Before becoming an analyst in 2020, I spent eight years as a reporter covering consumer tech news.
Foxconn working conditions slammed by workers rights group
Retrieved 20 December 2014. The coalition cited the use of a toxic chemical, n-hexane, said to have caused nerve damage to workers at a plant operated by Wintek Corp. Inside Foxconn, where Apple iPads, iPhones are made 14 photos. I earned a BS in journalism from West Virginia University, and started my career writing for newspapers in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia. One of those prototypes turned up missing, and Foxconn launched an investigation to find the missing unit.
