Foxconn Undercover Report on Working Conditions

[Marcus Yam]

An inside story.

Foxconn Undercover Report on Working Conditions : Read more

 

[joytech22]

Honestly very sad that any job would force such hardship on it's workers, these are people we're talking about that are fighting for resources in a Very crowded area, at least some of them keep their spirits and dreams alive.

 

[AsianJetlag]

Even with Purchasing Power Parity considered, $132 per month is still pretty little.

But then again, this is expected. Even a $5 increase per month in min. wage is HUGE for a country with 1.3 billion people, and these workers are the ones who weren't smart enough to get through high school/get into university.

This applies to most other developing Asian countries, which is still considerably better than conditions in some Middle Eastern/Eastern Europe/African countries.

 

[Guest]

Europeans and Americans should boycott cheap labor everywhere. Until the people of Mexico, China, etc... can grow a pair, and demand decent living conditions in their country, we shouldn't be enriching their countries.

Cheap labor is the contemporary slavery. Whenever immigration reform is discussed in America, the conservatives say "well, who's going to pick your strawberries for $4/hr, the prices of fruits and vegetables will skyrocket". You know, I'm sure the proponents of slavery said the same thing, and if memory serves, the economy didn't collapse when we ended slavery.

 

[dwave]

The conservatives don't say " well, who's going to pick your strawberries for $4/hr" the liberals do. I am conservative and I say get the illegals out of here.

 

[Azimuth01]

People say that these conditions are unbearable and horrible, yet these same people run out and purchase the cheapest TV they can find then brag about the deal they got. If people really believe that things need to change, stop buying their goods with a smile.

 

[bad_code]

cheap-laborConservative's point about everything else is good and I think even the conservatives did want them to stay in our country. The Department of Labor wants them and so do other institutions which lobby for keeping them in using our bail out money. IBM also uses foxconn. Its all about cheap labor and more profit. Not lower prices. Just more profit. All the skills are leaving our country too. Not just the jobs. That's both liberal and conservatives. But conservatives give these business tax breaks for shipping jobs over seas. Oh yeah, your tax dollars are paying to get rid of you job. GO REPUBLICANS!!!!!

 

[bin1127]

why don't we just build our own stuff? everyone in NA or Europe wants every gadget for pennies but wouldn't lift a single finger to actually make it themselves. Let those factory kids go to school instead of slaving all day so you can have your iCrap.

 

[nforce4max]

The first solution to problems like this is tariffs. The second is get rid of those who run these slave factories and the mercantile systems in the US and Europe.

 

[figgus]

If things keep going like they are, those workers will be luckier than their US counterparts because at least they have jobs. America is making it far too costly to manufacture anything in that country.

 

[etrom]

[citation][nom]AsianJetlag[/nom]and these workers are the ones who weren't smart enough to get through high school/get into university.[/citation]

I disagree. In most cases, those people have to quit the school due to financial problems/need to help their parents who don't have enough cash to feed the whole family.

 

[bad_code]

I got a minus 2. Why don't people like reality? People are blind to what is really going on in our country? What's wrong with that. Truth hurts?

 

[figgus]

[citation][nom]bad_code[/nom]I got a minus 2. Why don't people like reality? People are blind to what is really going on in our country? What's wrong with that. Truth hurts?[/citation]

That's funny, I think you got marked down for being wrong. There was very little reality in your statement.

 

[cscott_it]

I guess this is the free market will fix itself, right?

Well, untill you get countries that will purposely devaluate their own currency to gain a huge share of world manufacturing, take huge sacrifices from their citizens in attempt to "modernize" their country, and then allow minimal rights to the afforementioned citizens.

Maybe I'm just jaded from the insane profit margins as a byproduct of overseas manufacturing. It's boggling sometimes. On a lighter note, at least foxconn has tried to rectify the problem by bringing in a priest to do exercisms and set up an agression room.

Oh wait....

 

[soo-nah-mee]

Anyone else sick of hearing terms like "liberal" and "conservative" and "illegal aliens" come into this type of discussion? This isn't about political affiliation; it's about how people are treated. It's like people use this type of thing to remind themselves and others that they consider themselves part of a group, and their group is always right.

The simple fact is we wouldn't be able to buy all of the cool high-tech gadgets we love if it weren't for them being manufactured cheaply in other countries. So we conveniently forgot about how the product is made when we bring it home and play with it. That's just the way it is. If the way the people that make your products are treated bothers you, then don't buy the products.

The world and humanity can be ugly. Americans and Europeans have it made in comparison to most of the world. Anything less or different than what we see every day is considered by many to be wrong. It’s just different. Most of all, it’s just the way it is! What are you going to do about it? Whining doesn’t help.

 

[bad_code]

[citation][nom]figgus[/nom]That's funny, I think you got marked down for being wrong. There was very little reality in your statement.[/citation]

Show me what's wrong. All talk no action.

 

[bad_code]

I bet others have marked me down to for other things they thought were wrong like the fact that IBM developed the cell processor for the PS3.

 

[tommysch]

[citation][nom]joytech22[/nom]Honestly very sad that any job would force such hardship on it's workers, these are people we're talking about that are fighting for resources in a Very crowded area, at least some of them keep their spirits and dreams alive.[/citation]

That country was almost 100% third world in the 1980s. So it isn't that bad when you consider OUR working conditions in the industrial revolution. Nothing is free in this world. Hard work is much better then starvation, unemployment, civil wars and epidemics.

Don't fool yourself, China is tomorrows enemy.

 

[bad_code]

LOL no way people think sony created the cell procssor ? TOO FUNNY!!!

 

[tommysch]

[citation][nom]Azimuth01[/nom]People say that these conditions are unbearable and horrible, yet these same people run out and purchase the cheapest TV they can find then brag about the deal they got. If people really believe that things need to change, stop buying their goods with a smile.[/citation]

We should stop importing from China, not because it would help them but because it would help us.

 

[aeurix]

Fools... In condemning this 'sweatshop' labor you fail to realize two things: By paying them these low wages, we are actually making them relatively well off compared to their average worker. If they didn't have this employment, they would likely be unemployed, which is far worse. We are effectively bringing up their quality of life... Secondly, if you condemn this comparative advantage, you are begging for high electronic costs, clothing costs, and any other non perishable goods.

None of these employees are held at gunpoint, all of which actively seek employment with the company. Stop 'thinking with your heart' and try to reason it out with economic logic. If they didn't think the tradeoff was fair, they wouldn't be there.

 

[jabliese]

Stopping imports from China would help us in the same way cutting off an arm is a good way to lose weight.

 

[tommysch]

[citation][nom]jabliese[/nom]Stopping imports from China would help us in the same way cutting off an arm is a good way to lose weight.[/citation]

Hows that? We will have fewer gadgets while millions upon millions of Chinese will starve.

 

[webbwbb]

Bad_code, the reason you are being marked down is that this is a tech site talking about tech news to computer techs. Yes some of us who are highly into politics (myself included) but this is not really the place for that. It is obvious that you have an agenda in your posts since you are constantly trying to draw attention to them and complain about being voted down for off topic posts (trolling). Keep in mind that this site has thousands if not millions of readers who are not in the US and that things about our politics must be incredibly annoying for them.

 

[joesapp37]

After reading this article it made me feel soo guilty, but joytech22 is right. I am relieved that their dreams are still alive. One day I hope we can end these conglomerate's agenda to keep 3rd world countries the way they are. Thank you Marcus for this inspirational coverage.