How do you feel about your iPad now?
binary_jester
Posts: 3,311 Member
You are NOT allowed to commit suicide: Workers in Chinese iPad factories forced to sign pledges
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1382396/Workers-Chinese-Apple-factories-forced-sign-pledges-commit-suicide.html
Factories making sought-after Apple iPads and iPhones in China are forcing staff to sign pledges not to commit suicide, an investigation has revealed.
At least 14 workers at Foxconn factories in China have killed themselves in the last 16 months as a result of horrendous working conditions.
Many more are believed to have either survived attempts or been stopped before trying at the Apple supplier's plants in Chengdu or Shenzen.
After a spate of suicides last year, managers at the factories ordered new staff to sign pledges that they would not attempt to kill themselves, according to researchers.
And they were made to promise that if they did, their families would only seek the legal minimum in damages.
An investigation of the 500,000 workers by the Centre for Research on Multinational Companies and Students & Scholars Against Corporate Misbehaviour (Sacom) found appalling conditions in the factories.
They claimed that:
Excessive overtime was rife, despite a legal limit of 36 hours a month. One payslip showed a worker did 98 hours of overtime in one month, the Observer reported.
During peak periods of demand for the iPad, workers were made to take only one day off in 13.
Badly performing workers were humiliated in front of colleagues.
Workers are banned from talking and are made to stand up for their 12-hour shifts.
The 'anti-suicide pledge' was brought in after sociologists wrote an open letter to the media calling for an end to restrictive working practices.
But the investigation revealed many of the workers still lived in dismal conditions, with some only going home to see family once a year.
One worker told the newspaper: 'Sometimes my roommates cry when they arrive in the dormitory after a long day.'
She said they were made to work illegally long hours for a basic daily wage, as little as £5.20, and that workers were housed in dormitories of up to 24 people a room.
In Chengdu, working between 60 and 80 hours overtime a month was normal, with many breaching Apple's own code of conduct with the length of their shifts.
And the investigation found that employees claimed they were not allowed to speak to each other.
Foxconn admits that it breaks overtime laws, but claims all the overtime is voluntary.
Some officials within the company even accused workers of committing suicide to secure large compensation payments for their families.
Anti-suicide nets were put up around the dormitory buildings on the advice of psychologists.
Foxconn said it had faced 'some very challenging months for everyone associated with the Foxconn family and the loss of a number of colleagues to tragic suicides'.
Spokesman Louis Woo, responding to allegations that staff were humiliated, said: 'It is not something we endorse or encourage. However, I would not exclude that this might happen given the diverse and large population of our workforce.
'But we are working to change it.'
He added that employees were 'encouraged not to engage in conversations that may distract them from the attention needed to ensure accuracy and their own safety'.
Sacom said the company initially responded to the spate of suicides by bringing in monks to exorcise evil spirits.
Leontien Aarnoudse, a Sacom official, told The People: 'They work excessive overtime for a salary they can hardly live on and are inhumanely treated.
'Conditions are harsh and they don't have a social life. Their life is just working in a factory and that is it.'
Demand for iPads and iPhones has soared, resulting in tough targets for workers in Apple factories.
Apple's supplier code of conduct demands that employees are treated with respect and dignity, but its own audit reports suggest suppliers in China may not meet up to these standards.
The global high-tech product manufacturer made profits of $6billion in the first quarter of 2011.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1382396/Workers-Chinese-Apple-factories-forced-sign-pledges-commit-suicide.html
Factories making sought-after Apple iPads and iPhones in China are forcing staff to sign pledges not to commit suicide, an investigation has revealed.
At least 14 workers at Foxconn factories in China have killed themselves in the last 16 months as a result of horrendous working conditions.
Many more are believed to have either survived attempts or been stopped before trying at the Apple supplier's plants in Chengdu or Shenzen.
After a spate of suicides last year, managers at the factories ordered new staff to sign pledges that they would not attempt to kill themselves, according to researchers.
And they were made to promise that if they did, their families would only seek the legal minimum in damages.
An investigation of the 500,000 workers by the Centre for Research on Multinational Companies and Students & Scholars Against Corporate Misbehaviour (Sacom) found appalling conditions in the factories.
They claimed that:
Excessive overtime was rife, despite a legal limit of 36 hours a month. One payslip showed a worker did 98 hours of overtime in one month, the Observer reported.
During peak periods of demand for the iPad, workers were made to take only one day off in 13.
Badly performing workers were humiliated in front of colleagues.
Workers are banned from talking and are made to stand up for their 12-hour shifts.
The 'anti-suicide pledge' was brought in after sociologists wrote an open letter to the media calling for an end to restrictive working practices.
But the investigation revealed many of the workers still lived in dismal conditions, with some only going home to see family once a year.
One worker told the newspaper: 'Sometimes my roommates cry when they arrive in the dormitory after a long day.'
She said they were made to work illegally long hours for a basic daily wage, as little as £5.20, and that workers were housed in dormitories of up to 24 people a room.
In Chengdu, working between 60 and 80 hours overtime a month was normal, with many breaching Apple's own code of conduct with the length of their shifts.
And the investigation found that employees claimed they were not allowed to speak to each other.
Foxconn admits that it breaks overtime laws, but claims all the overtime is voluntary.
Some officials within the company even accused workers of committing suicide to secure large compensation payments for their families.
Anti-suicide nets were put up around the dormitory buildings on the advice of psychologists.
Foxconn said it had faced 'some very challenging months for everyone associated with the Foxconn family and the loss of a number of colleagues to tragic suicides'.
Spokesman Louis Woo, responding to allegations that staff were humiliated, said: 'It is not something we endorse or encourage. However, I would not exclude that this might happen given the diverse and large population of our workforce.
'But we are working to change it.'
He added that employees were 'encouraged not to engage in conversations that may distract them from the attention needed to ensure accuracy and their own safety'.
Sacom said the company initially responded to the spate of suicides by bringing in monks to exorcise evil spirits.
Leontien Aarnoudse, a Sacom official, told The People: 'They work excessive overtime for a salary they can hardly live on and are inhumanely treated.
'Conditions are harsh and they don't have a social life. Their life is just working in a factory and that is it.'
Demand for iPads and iPhones has soared, resulting in tough targets for workers in Apple factories.
Apple's supplier code of conduct demands that employees are treated with respect and dignity, but its own audit reports suggest suppliers in China may not meet up to these standards.
The global high-tech product manufacturer made profits of $6billion in the first quarter of 2011.
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Replies
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It may sound insensitive, but I still kinda want one. Heck, not too long ago, I would have giggled like a school girl at only a 60 hour work week.0
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Yikes... that is really sad
It doesn't sound like they're doing a whole lot over there to prevent this (other than putting up nets) but what is APPLE doing?! They should be all over this! 0 -
This has been going on since before the iPad was released and it was the iPhones that were in huge demand. This is an article from May 2010: http://www.newser.com/story/88997/9th-apple-plant-worker-commits-suicide.html
I recently purchased an Android powered tablet and didn't even consider the iPad. I'm not a big fan of Apple and never have been. It has nothing to do with this situation, of course, it's a personal preference going way back to the '80s.
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yeah, still love it.0
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Sad, luckily I hate the ipad. No flash really affect the sites I visit i.e. restaurants with nutritional info plus it's awkward to view/read/type on a pad rather than normal computer other than maybe a book. It's not the lack of keys that bothers me it’s the looking directly down that’s bothersome - my in-laws have one hence I have tried it.0
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C'mon people ... there is more to this story than this little piece. Oh, and Apple products are not the only ones made here. Dell, HP, etc ... most of the most well known products are made here.
And Apple has tried to address it ... as have the other companies. Which is part of the reason that there is soon to be a factory or more in South America. The issue really comes down to the horrible treatment the Chinese treat their workers. 12 - 16 hour days, not allowed to talk to anyone during the workday. Oh, and they build these factories in the lowest income areas so they can attract those that need the jobs the most.
Because Apple has been so successful the last 5-7 years they are singled out more ... but don't for a second believe that they are the only company affected. This is just typical news reporting ... single out a popular company or brand and your story gets more links - known as link bait.
If you are going to slam Apple be ready to slam a few more companies. Wikipedia search shows the following 15 companies ... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foxconn#Clients
It would be nice if media outlets would stop spewing nonsense but until then we should be more responsible and make sure we know the facts before we go off half-cocked.0 -
Umm not nonsense. They are not lying. I posted this because Apple people are supposed to be more friendly...hipper than the PC crowd.C'mon people ... there is more to this story than this little piece. Oh, and Apple products are not the only ones made here. Dell, HP, etc ... most of the most well known products are made here.
And Apple has tried to address it ... as have the other companies. Which is part of the reason that there is soon to be a factory or more in South America. The issue really comes down to the horrible treatment the Chinese treat their workers. 12 - 16 hour days, not allowed to talk to anyone during the workday. Oh, and they build these factories in the lowest income areas so they can attract those that need the jobs the most.
Because Apple has been so successful the last 5-7 years they are singled out more ... but don't for a second believe that they are the only company affected. This is just typical news reporting ... single out a popular company or brand and your story gets more links - known as link bait.
If you are going to slam Apple be ready to slam a few more companies. Wikipedia search shows the following 15 companies ... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foxconn#Clients
It would be nice if media outlets would stop spewing nonsense but until then we should be more responsible and make sure we know the facts before we go off half-cocked.0 -
I cannot afford an ipad. If I could, I'd likely get a laptop instead. I prefer something with a keyboard.
I've seen this article, one of my friends posted it on facebook. Someone commented on that post that 14 suicides out of 500,000 people is actually really low. I agree with that. But at least this article is bringing to people's attention the horrible working conditions in China. I watched a documentary about the chinese workers who make Mardi Gras beads a couple years ago. It was horrible! People dying of chemical burns for those cheap little beads? They make next to nothing, are not allowed meal breaks, and are forced to live at the factories often working 16 hour days or more. The interviewers told one chinese girl that the beads are thrown to women who take their tops off and she was incredulous learning this.
It's not just Apple. It's anything with a "Made in China" label on it, meaning most products sold at WalMart.0 -
Yes, this may be true, but I agree that it is not just this one place. There was a video about the issues with Walmart and the working conditions around the world and it's company, including factories in China.
The issue here is the whole economic system. Companies are required by law to serve the most important entitiy for them, the stakeholders. The best way to do this is to drive down costs while boosting profits. Who would want to pay people a decent wage and insurance and other benefits when they could cut their overhead in half by going to a nation that doesn't give a rip about their standards for working conditions.
If people are upset about these topics and are horrified by what goes on, then they shouldn't just put blame on who has the most bad press about it. People should do their homework and see how many companies actually conduct business in the same manner and cut ALL of those companies out of their consuming patterns.
I think a lot of people will be suprised when they realize how much items will cost them, the end consumer, when production methods are done in an ethical fashion. Unfortunately, running business this way is not economical, and companies cannot compete with prices of those who treat their employees like dirt....
dont even get me started on the environmental impacts that these companies make on the earth.. all for the benefit of a cheaper product, while still earning a profit.
It's not going to change unless there are some MAJOR reforms worldwide.0 -
And Apple has tried to address it ... as have the other companies. Which is part of the reason that there is soon to be a factory or more in South America. The issue really comes down to the horrible treatment the Chinese treat their workers. 12 - 16 hour days, not allowed to talk to anyone during the workday. Oh, and they build these factories in the lowest income areas so they can attract those that need the jobs the most.
And factory conditions in South America are so much better?0 -
The only way to show displeasure with a company is by not buying their products. People avoid Walmart for these reasons, but I bet people will still buy Apple products and say...hey, it's not the only company.0
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It's not just Apple. It's anything with a "Made in China" label on it, meaning most products sold at WalMart.
You mean most products sold anywhere. Wal-Mart is not the only place that sells products which are mostly "Made in China", the bulk of US retailers do. I always think how funny it is that my friend at work will do anything to avoid shopping at Wal-Mart because of the way their Chinese workers are treated, but she will buy absolutely anything at Target or anywhere else without thinking twice. People need to realize that if it's made in a country without enforced laws to protect the workers, chances are it was made in a factory with bad working conditions. An extremely unfortunate truth, but a truth nonetheless.0 -
I fully support children's rights...to work.
It's not just Apple. It's anything with a "Made in China" label on it, meaning most products sold at WalMart.
You mean most products sold anywhere. Wal-Mart is not the only place that sells products which are mostly "Made in China", the bulk of US retailers do. I always think how funny it is that my friend at work will do anything to avoid shopping at Wal-Mart because of the way their Chinese workers are treated, but she will buy absolutely anything at Target or anywhere else without thinking twice. People need to realize that if it's made in a country without enforced laws to protect the workers, chances are it was made in a factory with bad working conditions. An extremely unfortunate truth, but a truth nonetheless.
I know I am going to catch hell for that.0 -
I fully support children's rights...to work.
um yeah, that's the only reason i had one
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Thank goodness child labor laws do not apply to your own children.
I fully support children's rights...to work.
um yeah, that's the only reason i had one0
This discussion has been closed.
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