Riot Breaks Out at Foxconn's iPhone 5 Casing Factory

[bucknutty]

FoxConn manager "hello police, can you send a squad car to our factory we have a problem"
Dispatcher "right way sir, did you need 1 cop or 5,000?"

We only have about 6500 cops in my entire state of about 3.5 million people. Did they have to call the military?

 

[christarp]

Not apples fault that foxconn sucks. Apple shouldn't have to take care of a third party company that the entire world uses.

 

[theabsinthehare]

[citation][nom]SteelCity1981[/nom]Foxconn mistreats their employees far worse then any of those companies you mention. You hear more sucid deaths come from their employees then you ever hear of those companies to mentioned combined. So no they aren't all equal.[/citation]

"You hear" would be the key term here. You "hear" more about bad treatment at Foxconn because Foxconn is hot in the media. Most Chinese production facilities treat their employees just the same, or worse. Foxconn actually pays their employees more than their competitors.

Foxconn employees just commit suicide more often due to crowd mentality and the realization that their suicide will have more impact than someone's at another company. The employees at Foxconn are aware that there is heavy media coverage of their plight, so doing something drastic will be seen by people, but employees at other Chinese facilities know that if they killed themselves, nobody would know or care.

I'm not downplaying that standards are low in China, but it's a national problem, not just Foxconn.

 

[alexthager]

I'd actually like to point out, I gave a presentation about the working conditions at Foxconn and the relationship between Foxconn and Apple. Surprisingly, compared to other companies, Apple ensures they are competitively paid and taken care of. Sure, they're not making 100k/year while working in a castle, but Apple is somewhat generous.

 

[Netherscourge]

Foxconn is obviously a HUGE economic cash-cow for that area of China. You KNOW they're gonna send in the National Guard to protect it and Apple's contract with them...

 

[alcalde]

[citation][nom]AndrewMD[/nom]Problem is you think this is slave labor because what you are reading in Western media. [/citation]

As opposed to what? The state dictatorship-controlled Chinese media?

 

[halcyon]

So the workers got in a riot over the SGS3? Too bad, I like mine pretty much.

 

[halcyon]

[citation][nom]Netherscourge[/nom]Foxconn is obviously a HUGE economic cash-cow for that area of China. You KNOW they're gonna send in the National Guard to protect it and Apple's contract with them...[/citation]
[citation][nom]alexthager[/nom]I'd actually like to point out, I gave a presentation about the working conditions at Foxconn and the relationship between Foxconn and Apple. Surprisingly, compared to other companies, Apple ensures they are competitively paid and taken care of. Sure, they're not making 100k/year while working in a castle, but Apple is somewhat generous.[/citation]
Yeahs, Apple is generous but I'm sure Samsung, Motorola, and others are too. I hope.

 

[christop]

some one drop a yen or some food....

 

[NuclearShadow]

Is this even a surprise to anyone? For years this sort of thing has been going on. The focus on the suicides alone is a injustice. There have been many reports and claims of the security there being thug like and abusive, even claims of sexual assault.

There's no secret that China is behind in times when it comes to workers rights. What Foxconn is today is where America was at during the early 1930's where security actually meant corporate thugs that would beat any man who raised a voice about pay, or safety. Corruption was so bad in America at the time that law enforcement and government were against and also violent against workers on strike. The national guard were even ordered to shoot to kill and shot strikers in the back. China is pretty much in our 1930's I'm sure they won't mind shooting people in the back either when it comes to it. But perhaps this little "riot" was the start of change in China maybe worker unions will try to form and also resist the oppressive government like we once did.

Funny thing is they won't even have it any worse despite it being China. Killing is the worst possible thing a government can do to it's own citizens so all China can do at worst is the same thing.

 

[everygamer]

I know I have heard of blood diamonds, but I never heard of blood phones before.

Seriously, does anyone else think there is something wrong with the world when 80,000 people work in factory to make phones.

 

[everygamer]

[citation][nom]NuclearShadow[/nom]Is this even a surprise to anyone? For years this sort of thing has been going on. The focus on the suicides alone is a injustice. There have been many reports and claims of the security there being thug like and abusive, even claims of sexual assault. There's no secret that China is behind in times when it comes to workers rights. What Foxconn is today is where America was at during the early 1930's where security actually meant corporate thugs that would beat any man who raised a voice about pay, or safety. Corruption was so bad in America at the time that law enforcement and government were against and also violent against workers on strike. The national guard were even ordered to shoot to kill and shot strikers in the back. China is pretty much in our 1930's I'm sure they won't mind shooting people in the back either when it comes to it. But perhaps this little "riot" was the start of change in China maybe worker unions will try to form and also resist the oppressive government like we once did.Funny thing is they won't even have it any worse despite it being China. Killing is the worst possible thing a government can do to it's own citizens so all China can do at worst is the same thing.[/citation]

Ok, China is behind the times, but companies like Apple are enabling them, they are saying "it's ok, we done mind that you do this so long as we make money on the product"

 

[monsta]

This factory sounds like a prison...

 

[bucknutty]

Apple is literally minting money these days....they spend so much on R&D...wud it hurt so much to ensure that these workers have a little more humane working conditions and timings? Even if $10 from each over-priced iphone is spent towards this cause, i'm sure it would do much good.
But Apple, like other big companies won't bother, to them china is just a land of cheap human over-working slave machines!!

What about MS? The Xbox is made in that same factory. What about all the HP laptops. Yup they are built there as well.

That factory builds devices and electronics for many many major electronics companies. Its unfair to blame Apple.

 

[juiceman]

I wonder how many other options these Foxconn staff have for getting any money at all? Maybe there are better paying jobs elsewhere in their country but they're FORCED to work for Foxconn instead?
Why would you go work for some crappy factory instead of staying at home and just growing some food and eat? No way I'd take a job like that, I'd stay home instead of going to work in some overcrowded, sweaty factory for 12 hour work days and seriously low pay.

You internet civil-rights people make me laugh, you understand nothing about economics or politics or business. I hate Apple as much as the next tech guy, but I can never call a spade a fork.