Hon Hai Precision Industry Co (鴻海精密) said it has eliminated illegal overtime work by Chinese student interns in China at its plant in Zhengzhou, Henan Province.
Hon Hai, also known as Foxconn Technology Group (富士康) outside of Taiwan, said it took action to improve working conditions after the Financial Times on Tuesday reported that about 3,000 interns at its Zhengzhou factory were working overtime in violation of Chinese law as the company struggled to catch up with demand for the iPhone X.
Six students ranging in age from 17 to 19 told the newspaper that they regularly worked 11-hour shifts to assemble the new iPhone X.
The world’s largest contract electronics maker said it launched an investigation into the factory following the report and discovered that some interns were working overtime, so it asked the plant’s management to correct the situation.
Interns will no longer be able to work more than 40 hours a week, the maximum permitted under Chinese law, it said.
It said it has also come up with plans to randomly check interns’ schedules to ensure that their working conditions meet the required standards.
Interns only account for a small fraction of its workforce in China, Hon Hai said.
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