San Francisco – Reeling from over a dozen suicides by
employees over the past 16 months, Chinese manufacturer Foxconn — which makes smartphones and laptops for firms
including Apple (NASD: AAPL) and Dell (NASD: DELL) — is forcing
workers to sign a pledge saying they won’t commit suicide, Wired.com reported,
citing an investigative report by the non-profit Students and Scholars Against
Corporate Misbehavior (SACOM).
SACOM interviewed more than 100 Foxconn employees in
March and April, and found numerous abuses aside from the purported anti-suicide
pledge.
Employees were found to be working 50-80 overtime hours per month —
despite China’s limit of 36 hours — and were not allowed to talk, sit down or carry
a mobile phone.
SACOM also fielded reports indicating Foxconn staffers were routinely
"humiliated" in front of colleagues if they made mistakes.
The group
is demanding that Foxconn and its foreign partners change policies at the plants to improve conditions for workers.
Related Links:
http://www.wired.com/epicenter/2011/05/foxconn-no-suicide-pledge
