13th suicide attempt this year at Chinese factory

[Enrique]

Source: Associated Press

http://www.salon.com/wires/techbiz/2010/05/27/D9FV8M703_as_china_foxconn_deaths/

A Foxconn Technology worker tried to kill himself Thursday, becoming the 13th person to commit suicide or attempt to do so this year at the company, which makes high-tech products for industry giants such as Apple, Dell and Hewlett-Packard, state media said.

Police said the man survived after cutting himself in his dormitory room at the factory, the official Xinhua News Agency reported. It said the 25-year-old man, surnamed Chen, migrated from central Hunan
province and began working at Foxconn two months ago.

Foxconn officials and police did not immediately answer calls by The Associated Press.


Read more: http://www.salon.com/wires/techbiz/2010/05/27/D9FV8M703_as_china_foxconn_deaths/

[onehandle]

1. Foxconn produces for Dell, HP, Sony, Acer, Intel, Nintendo, Motorola, Cisco + many others.

Including the Amazon Kindle, Wiis, Playstations, Xbox 360, various computer makers' motherboards, and hundreds of models of various cell phones and music players.

If you use any of these... Any electronics, you are supporting slave labor in China.

[daggahead]

2. Thank you.

I will remember that next time I try to find ANYTHING not made in China.

[onehandle]

3. Well, it's sad but true. I wish it wasn't. nt

[fatbuckel]

4. Glad to see people aren`t just ragging on iPhones anymore.

[Fastcars]

5. 13 is a lot in one factory...

If it is a normal size factory of say 1500-2000 employees. If I am not mistaken someone posted in an earlier thread about this factory that the suicide rate is actually lower than that of the general population.

Will try and find the old thread. Found it http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x4378460

Edit to add link.

[PSPS]

8. The "lower than in the general population" claim is a canard.

These Foxconn workers are young, and this level of suicide in a group of young people is alarming.

[femrap]

6. I saw on the news that

management was hanging nets at the staircases so people couldn't jump.

I hope the Chinese workers and poor revolt.

And may the CEOs of these US hi-tech companies who made the decision to move manufacturing to China NEVER get fucked again. May Viagra blind them. May they choke on their money.

edit: f*cking typo.

[nichomachus]

7. They're also requiring employees to sign pledges not to kill themselves

http://www.smh.com.au/technology/technology-news/i-promise-not-to-kill-myself-apple-factory-workers-asked-to-sign-pledge-20100526-wddd.html


Apple manufacturer Foxconn was today taking extraordinary measures to safeguard its business and workers following a spate of suicides at its sprawling plant in southern China.

Workers have reportedly been told to sign letters promising not to kill themselves and even agree to be institutionalised if they appeared to be in an "abnormal mental or physical state for the protection of myself and others".

A 21-year-old employee from southern Guangxi province told the South China Morning Post how she worked 12-hours a day, six days a week.

"The atmosphere inside our workplaces is so tight and depressing that we're not allowed to speak to each other for 12 hours or you'll be reproached by your supervisors.

Another worker, from central Hunan province, complained that the assembly line moved too fast and she had to check thousands of mainboards for electronic gadgets every day.

The 22-year-old's monthly salary, including overtime, was only 2000 yuan ($300) -- about the same as the US price of a 32GB iPhone.

[OhioChick]

9. " sign pledges not to kill themselves"

:wtf: