Nokia and Sony yesterday joined a chorus of concern over labor conditions at Foxconn Technology Group’s (富士康) vast assembly plant in Shenzhen, China, after yet another attempted suicide by a worker who slashed his wrists.
The companies said they were looking into conditions at the factory, following similar pledges by Apple, Hewlett-Packard and Dell.
In an apparent effort to confront a growing tide of bad publicity over the suicides, Foxconn yesterday announced a 20 percent rise in salaries at its China plants.
PHOTO: NICKY LOH, REUTERS
The vow came after another employee survived a suicide bid on Thursday at the vast plant, where 10 have died recently in apparent suicides. An 11th worker died at a Foxconn factory in northern China.
“We are concerned and take this very seriously,” Nokia said in a statement, adding: “Given the concerning reports regarding Foxconn, we are in continuous contact with Foxconn to ensure any issues are identified and addressed as soon as possible.”
The suicides at Foxconn have highlighted concerns over working conditions for the millions of factory laborers who power China’s export-reliant economy.
Sony said it requires suppliers to adhere to a code of conduct and would investigate conditions at Foxconn, which is owned by Hon Hai Precision Industry (鴻海精密).
“In response to recent reports, Sony has begun taking steps to re-evaluate the working environment at Foxconn,” it said in a statement.
Activists and employees have said the workers at Foxconn’s Shenzhen plant face long hours, low pay and heavy pressure.
Dozens of activists protested yesterday outside Hon Hai’s Taipei headquarters, urging it to improve treatment of its workers while unfurling white banners and laying flowers to mourn the dead.
“We urge Hon Hai to respect life and to stop its inhuman and militarised treatment of workers aimed at maximizing profits,” organizer Lin Tzu-wen (林子文) said.
“The workers have to stand all day and they are not allowed to talk. They are treated almost like machines in a sweatshop environment,” he said.
A Foxconn official confirmed media reports that the company was set to raise the salary of its assembly line staff, but stressed that the plan was not conceived in response to the suicides.
Company spokesman Edmund Ding (丁祈安) said the rise in the cash portion of salary packages for all its Chinese workers had been planned for some time. He did not say when the raises would be implemented.
Hon Hai chairman Terry Gou (郭台銘) was quoted on Thursday by Taiwanese media as saying Foxconn plans to relocate some facilities and about a fifth of the Shenzhen workforce to western regions of China where many of its workers come from.
Meanwhile, Premier Wu Den-yih (吳敦義) said he wished everyone could give Guo more encouragement because he works under a lot of pressure.
Wu said Guo and his enterprises contributed a lot to Taiwan’s economy and the world’s, and that he was a man of ambition and competent at business innovation.
“A spate of suicides by employees jumping off buildings in a company drew lots of attention. I wish everyone would encourage Guo more, to help him solve problems,” Wu said.
Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) also voiced support for Gou, and urged the government to help him.
“I think his problems are the country’s problems,” Wang told reporters. “Our government can contact relevant units [in China] to help deal with the situation. It’s the least the government can do.”
ADDTITIONAL REPORTING BY SHIH HSIU-CHUAN
A magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck off Yilan at 11:05pm yesterday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The epicenter was located at sea, about 32.3km east of Yilan County Hall, at a depth of 72.8km, CWA data showed There were no immediate reports of damage. The intensity of the quake, which gauges the actual effect of a seismic event, measured 4 in Yilan County area on Taiwan’s seven-tier intensity scale, the data showed. It measured 4 in other parts of eastern, northern and central Taiwan as well as Tainan, and 3 in Kaohsiung and Pingtung County, and 2 in Lienchiang and Penghu counties and 1
A car bomb killed a senior Russian general in southern Moscow yesterday morning, the latest high-profile army figure to be blown up in a blast that came just hours after Russian and Ukrainian delegates held separate talks in Miami on a plan to end the war. Kyiv has not commented on the incident, but Russian investigators said they were probing whether the blast was “linked” to “Ukrainian special forces.” The attack was similar to other assassinations of generals and pro-war figures that have either been claimed, or are widely believed to have been orchestrated, by Ukraine. Russian Lieutenant General Fanil Sarvarov, 56, head
SAFETY FIRST: Double the number of police were deployed at the Taipei Marathon, while other cities released plans to bolster public event safety Authorities across Taiwan have stepped up security measures ahead of Christmas and New Year events, following a knife and smoke bomb attack in Taipei on Friday that left four people dead and 11 injured. In a bid to prevent potential copycat incidents, police deployments have been expanded for large gatherings, transport hubs, and other crowded public spaces, according to official statements from police and city authorities. Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) said the city has “comprehensively raised security readiness” in crowded areas, increased police deployments with armed officers, and intensified patrols during weekends and nighttime hours. For large-scale events, security checkpoints and explosives
‘POLITICAL GAME’: DPP lawmakers said the motion would not meet the legislative threshold needed, and accused the KMT and the TPP of trivializing the Constitution The Legislative Yuan yesterday approved a motion to initiate impeachment proceedings against President William Lai (賴清德), saying he had undermined Taiwan’s constitutional order and democracy. The motion was approved 61-50 by lawmakers from the main opposition Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the smaller Taiwan People’s Party (TPP), who together hold a legislative majority. Under the motion, a roll call vote for impeachment would be held on May 19 next year, after various hearings are held and Lai is given the chance to defend himself. The move came after Lai on Monday last week did not promulgate an amendment passed by the legislature that
RSS