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HP tells Chinese factories to stop raiding schools for cheap labor

We know that HP's Chinese sub-contractors enjoy a spot of opera on the production line. What's always been harder to determine though, is who those workers are and what employment rights they have. In an effort to preempt the sort of headlines that have afflicted other brands, HP has issued new guidelines to its Chinese partners -- including Foxconn -- designed to limit the use of students and temporary personnel and give those people more control over their hours.

Students often seek work during vacations, but high schools close to factories have also been known to pressure their pupils into taking on shifts during bouts of heavy demand -- even if it's to the detriment of their studies. That won't do for a global manufacturer that needs to be seen as education friendly, so from now on "interns" will only be accepted for work that tallies with their course area, and the School Administrator will just have to find his kickbacks elsewhere.