Chinese Apple Factory Workers sign pledges not to commit suicide

[danbuter]

They have to sign pledges not to commit suicide (which will then keep their families from suing). Working and living conditions are horrible. Way to go, Apple.

And yes, I know the company is Foxconn, but Apple is their primary (only?) customer, so they are ultimately responsible.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1382396/Workers-Chinese-Apple-factories-forced-sign-pledges-commit-suicide.html

[_outlawed_]

Foxconn

And my desktop mobo is a Foxconn, oh boy.

[el_koraco]

And my desktop mobo is a Foxconn, oh boy.

Rip it out and throw it to the wolves.

[3Miro]

And my desktop mobo is a Foxconn, oh boy.

Almost all mobos have parts made by Foxconn. A few years ago, they were the largest mobo manufacturer by virtue of all the parts they did for other companies. I think the only way to boycott Foxconn is to stop using a computer ....

I don't mean to become political, but there should be laws for minimum wage with overtime being 1.5 times higher. Then the company will simply hire more workers ... workers would live in better conditions too.

[Johnsie]

What happens if they breach the contract?

[3Miro]

What happens if they breach the contract?

Families cannot sue for compensation.

[HappinessNow]

...Apple should stop dealing with this factory on principle alone!

[3Miro]

...Apple should stop dealing with this factory on principle alone!

Corporations care about profit only. We should never forget that. If we want them to do something that would lower their profit, we should use legislature or boycott. In some cases, boycott isn't possible.

[handy]

It comes down to the shareholders in the end.

[tgm4883]

Old news
http://gizmodo.com/#!5548566/foxconn-asks-employees-to-sign-promise-not-to-commit-suicide-or-sue-the-company-if-they-do

http://english.caing.com/2010-05-26/100147419.html

[forrestcupp]

And yes, I know the company is Foxconn, but Apple is their primary (only?) customer, so they are ultimately responsible.


If you eat at McDonalds, then you're responsible if a McDonalds employee commits suicide because he gets treated badly at work by his employers. ;)

[tgm4883]

If you eat at McDonalds, then you're responsible if a McDonalds employee commits suicide because he gets treated badly at work by his employers. ;)

That's a bad analogy. He didn't say that you are responsible because you own an ipod.

[Gremlinzzz]

Shame on profit before people the factory broke the contract.
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.
Apple new and did nothing about it.shame on Apple.

[forrestcupp]

That's a bad analogy. He didn't say that you are responsible because you own an ipod.

He said that since Apple is their customer, they are responsible (which I think is rubbish). iPod owners are customers of Apple, not Foxconn. Apple is Foxconn's customer. My analogy was good.

[jerenept]

http://omgcheesecake.net/forum/public/style_emoticons/default/facepalm.gif http://omgcheesecake.net/forum/public/style_emoticons/default/facepalm.gif http://omgcheesecake.net/forum/public/style_emoticons/default/facepalm.gif http://omgcheesecake.net/forum/public/style_emoticons/default/facepalm.gif at apple. Shame on you.



:cry: :cry: :cry:

[_outlawed_]

Shame on profit before people the factory broke the contract.

Business/corporations working as intended.

[tgm4883]

He said that since Apple is their customer, they are responsible (which I think is rubbish). iPod owners are customers of Apple, not Foxconn. Apple is Foxconn's customer. My analogy was good.

He made the assumption that Apple is Foxconn's primary/only customer, which means that they would have a large amount of pull with Foxconn. Whether they are that large of a customer or not is up for debate.

You have zero pull with McDonalds as you don't buy large enough quantities. McDonalds doesn't care forrestcupp buys his chicken nuggets. Therefor your analogy is bad.

[forrestcupp]

You have zero pull with McDonalds as you don't buy large enough quantities. McDonalds doesn't care forrestcupp buys his chicken nuggets. Therefor your analogy is bad.

True, but it's not Apple's job to micromanage all of their suppliers. I don't even want to guess how many component suppliers they have.

I used to work at a factory that supplied component parts to Honda. Honda had a lot of pull with us on the quality, quantity, and price of our parts. But they had absolutely nothing to do with our company's employee relationships and our HR.

My analogy was bad, but my point still stands.

[danbuter]

Foxconn builds the iPad, iPhone, and iPod for Apple. Apple is well aware of the problems that have been occurring there for years. I think they need to be exposed on this on a regular basis until they finally do something about it.

[danbuter]

My analogy was bad, but my point still stands.

I'm pretty sure Foxconn would make major changes in employee conditions if Apple told them to. McDonalds would laugh at me if I said they had to change how they operate.

[3Miro]

Business/corporations working as intended.

+1. And we should never forget that profit is the only thing that exists in their world. Always has been, always will be.

The Chinese government needs to establish laws, to allow workers to form unions and then get proper wages and reasonable working hours. This is not the "fault" of Apple or anyone buying computers.

[HappinessNow]

He said that since Apple is their customer, they are responsible (which I think is rubbish). iPod owners are customers of Apple, not Foxconn. Apple is Foxconn's customer. My analogy was good.
Typical American justification to live an inauthentic life...you as a consumer are ultimately responsible for the social and economic implications for each and every purchase you make and how that effects everybody along the way from raw mining, to manufacturing, to retail, to your hands, then to waste disposal and recycling (or incinerating), then to the air you breath.

to begin a bit deeper understanding start with the Story of Stuff (http://goo.gl/7u4Jj).

Also, Apple is a company that has the power to make a statement to be a role model to other corporations to be a trend setter if you will. They could easily pull out of Foxxcon even move manufacturing completely back to the States...Apple has a strong following of consumers that wouldn't mind paying extra if they knew their product wasn't manufactured in slave-like labor environments where people are killing themselves to get out. It would even mean that investors would make more profit, if only Apple could see more then 10 feet in front of it's face.

Again for the consumer it is all a matter of choosing to live an authentic life or an inauthentic life, this naturally extends to the corporations as well.

[smellyman]

Typical American justification to live an inauthentic life...you as a consumer are ultimately responsible for the social and economic implications for each and every purchase you make and how that effects everybody along the way from raw mining, to manufacturing, to retail, to your hands, then to waste disposal and recycling (or incinerating), then to the air you breath.

to begin a bit deeper understanding start with the Story of Stuff (http://goo.gl/7u4Jj).

Better yet. George Carlin on Stuff (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MvgN5gCuLac)

[krapp]

I approve of this political thread.

Who said the free market would bring individual liberty to China?

This is capitalism at its absurdest finest. Workers can't kill themselves because we need their labor. Class-warfare takes on a whole new meaning. Soon the afterlife will be legislated. That would be sublime.

Really bizarre however that any court should uphold this contract seeing as the signatory would be a suicide. Very Kafkaesque.

[HappinessNow]

Better yet. George Carlin on Stuff (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MvgN5gCuLac)
Ironic how George Carlin looks like Steve Jobs, I guess Steve will be joining George soon free from all their stuff.

[3rdalbum]

I read an article a while back that showed that the suicide rates at Foxconn's factory are significantly lower than the suicide rates for all of China. Was this article debunked, or just forgotten?

Let's not forget that Foxconn employs a massive number of factory workers.

[smellyman]

I read an article a while back that showed that the suicide rates at Foxconn's factory are significantly lower than the suicide rates for all of China. Was this article debunked, or just forgotten?

Let's not forget that Foxconn employs a massive number of factory workers.


I saw the same thing. For some people it is more fun to just bash Apple

[tgalati4]

When I think of Apple, I think of those McDonald's Apple Pies.

And the McRib, of course.

mmmm.

If you are depressed enough to consider suicide, then buy a Zune.

[HappinessNow]

I read an article a while back that showed that the suicide rates at Foxconn's factory are significantly lower than the suicide rates for all of China. Was this article debunked, or just forgotten?

Let's not forget that Foxconn employs a massive number of factory workers.
Actually that statement was made by Foxxcon

[ade234uk]

I do wish people would understand that when they buy any Apple product or any other electronic product, how much actually goes to the company selling it, and how much goes to the people working in these factories to assemble it. Cheap electronics is good for the consumer but it comes at a price.

I am to blame as well. I have helped fuel the industry for cheap electronics over the last 20 years.

What can you do?
If you wait as long as possible to get your next gadget people like Apple don't get as much money.

And If I had the choice and I knew I could buy a similar product that was manufactured and assembled in the UK, I would be prepared to pay a bit more money for it.

I would then know the people are being paid properly and secondly you are helping your own ecomony.

[weasel fierce]

Here's my question:

Is this significantly different for any other computer parts?

[wilee-nilee]

What this thread needs is more blind self righteousness, meh, none of us are innocent here.

[Sef]

I approve of this political thread.

But politics are banned on the forums, so locked.