Another
Foxconn employee has committed suicide within the last few hours, several Chinese news sources are reporting. So far, we know that the employee was male, and that he died at the Longhua factory but no other details have been made available as of yet. This latest death comes just hours after the news that Foxconn employees were very recently asked to sign a letter saying that the company would pay no more than legal minimum wage for "injuries sustained outside the workplace." The letter, which was made public early this morning, caused Chairman of Hon Hai to say they were "taking it back" as the language was inappropriate. Foxconn, AKA Hon Hai Precision -- a massive Taiwan-based company with huge factories in China -- is responsible for manufacturing electronics for several major US companies, namely Apple, Dell, and HP. All three
released statements about the state of affairs earlier today that essentially boil down to "we're looking into it."
[Thanks,
MakeChoice]
posted May 26th 2010 3:47PM
A little off topic but the issue stirred it up anyways...Maybe countries, namely the US, should stop outsourcing to places that that can make products for them ridiculously cheap (because they pay so low and have poor benefits) so that they can make sure their stock holders/board of directors/CEO/etc. can make ridiculous profits. Maybe if they did their own manufacturing (assuming the company is large enough of course...small business could still outsource to companies in their own country) in their own country so that their target consumer might have a job and the money to buy the product, therefore making the cycle work...and the companies could still profit ridiculously ;) Oh and a bunch of suicides at a place of work no matter how many employees is alarming...how many places have you ever worked at or heard that had any significant amount of suicides (if any at all) in the work place...wake up, it's related to the place.
An open letter to Steve Jobs - With Information leaks occurring daily at your ODMs, and oppressive conditions widely reported at these locations, and the US manufacturing base all but gone. -- I, for one would like to know how much more an iPhone would REALLY cost me if were made in the USA. Maybe $20? When compared against the cost of the monthly service plans, the hardware price is not that big a deal. It's time for Apple to step up and lead by example. Bring Apple manufacturing back to the US.
I wonder what chairman Hu Flung Pu will say about this?
@DoctarPeppar
chairman hu? lol
Really sad.
To hear that these are an ongoing problem is just heart-wrenching. The situation at Foxconn seems to demonstrate some kind of cross-section of all the the human rights issues in China. It's terrible. I realize the size of the work-force at Foxconn, from a numbers standpoint, will incur a higher rate of death. But no amount of suicide should be taken lightly. The exposé regarding the working conditions was eye-opening and while it's difficult to argue they could 100% contribute to these deaths, there are obviously things Foxconn must change. Sadly, I fear nothing will.
Once again, are we SURE these are suicides? I mean, they're dropping like flies compared to Foxconn's previous years.
we need robots to take these ppls jobs already.
The Chairman should commit suicide. He is the 3rd RICHEST Taiwanese person. He flies over to the Chinese factory in his own private jet and helicopter yet he can't significantly compensate the dead workers or meet with their family?? I hope he is able to bring all his wealth to the grave. This is GREED Incorporated! How does Michael Dell, Steve Jobs et al sleep at night? Disclaimer: I don't own any Hon Hai products for that matter.
@TheGooch
U most likely buy something from Hon Hai/Foxconn indirectly, u just don't realize. They are the biggest EMS in the world.
BTW why don't we hold Obama responsible for all American commiting suicide...
@4ndr3W: If the people were replaced by robots at Foxconn then in a few weeks you'll see robots committing suicide.
Enjoy your apple product, how many died to make it?
That place is a gateway to hell.
Another suicide happened this morning BEIJING TIME.
Foxconn's "13th Jump" this year
Any death is just wrong.
Just because its beloved Apple making items here, it suddenly becomes acceptable for people to die, sick really.
I don't care about averages, statistics or any way you people want to hide it.
When I buy a product, I don't want to be responsible for peoples deaths and it is worthy news because people want to know.
And it doesn't just go for Apple, it goes for anything I buy, I want to know and change my purchasing.
the severance money these guys get for killing themselves is much more than what they can make out of their low salaries in a lifetime
it's sad really...but the crazy media attention this poor company is getting is not going to help at all
The Chinese one child per family rule is probably at fault here. Due to the limit of having only one child, parents often allow excessive protection so kids do not grow up being able to tolerate pressure. Many of the suicides, now 12, only came to the company within the last few months.
@allenade
I agree that is part of the causes hence they're all young ppl.
I'm proud to say that I have contributed to the low suicide rate of Foxconn employees, much lower then the suicide rate in the US, let alone China. Feel free to send tokens of appreciation my way. Then move to the Foxconn facility and lower your risk of suicide as well. You can thank me for that advice too.
I can actually relate to working in a EMS industry here in America. Its a grusome business. Everyone is trying to protect the bottom line, and yes there are times when you have to work hours on end. Of course the most I worked was 12 a day, but we get shit pay. We were a 4 billion dollar a year company and they only would pay us $10. We aquired business from Honeywell. And how do you like the thought of someone off the street working on Avionics for less than $10 a hour. Believe me there was alot of people who didn't give a shit about their job. So with all this comomtion in China where its even worse, I'm not suprised, but it is saddening.
did anyone see the video, the guy jumped off face first, holy crap
Maybe it's a combination of factors. A) Natural attrition B) Big payouts for the families (up to 10 years salary as reported) C) Working conditions that might be a tad too efficient (no talking). Here's some more scary news: http://weeklycoitus.co.nz/?p=1290
Whilst this is sad, it is not an unusual rate of occurrence for such a population. The world sucks, some don't like it and leave. Simple as that.
What I don't understand is what under the current political climate, why would Foxconn request the employees to sign a waiver for "liability for suicide". First of all, I don't even Foxconn has ever been putting themselves as "liable" voluntarily in the first place. And second, asking the employees to sign such a dreaded and somber wavier seems very insensitive. But that might illustrate how insensitive the whole management about their employees in the first place, which seem to be the general consensus that media claimed to have indirectly caused the mental and emotional problems of some if not more of the employees.
But insensitivity does not only appear within Foxconn's management, it appears just as great if not more pervasive, on the comments here, among Engadget readers (gadget enthusiasts associated to being civilized? not sure). Just look around as some of the insensitive comments, shame on those who hide behind an anonymous screen name.
Those who tried to dilute the issue by comparing the statistics are not reading it right. This suicides occur within a particular section of the factory (i.e. making one particular line of products), and within a short period of time. Without accurate statistics info, you should not compare them by merely casual treatment, and use that to argue the logic.