Foxconn Planning to Raise Salaries and Improve Conditions

[DiscoBerry]

Foxconn said that salaries for many workers would immediately jump by 16 to 25 percent, to about $400 a month, before overtime.

The company also said it would reduce overtime hours at its factories.

Labor rights groups say that over the years, many Foxconn plants have violated Chinese labor laws by pushing workers to endure excessive amounts of overtime.

Criticism has grown over working conditions at several Apple suppliers in China, including Foxconn, which employs more than one million workers to assemble some of the world’s most popular devices.

Apple announced last Monday that the Fair Labor Association, a nonprofit group, would provide independent audits of its supplier factories in China and elsewhere. Apple said the group’s findings would be made public. The association began inspecting Foxconn operations in China this week.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/19/technology/foxconn-to-raise-salaries-for-workers-by-up-to-25.html

[kefkaownsall]

Finally some good news

[SimSim]

Why does Apple get singled out for using Foxconn as an OEM? Foxconn assembles various electronic devices for all the major companies. All of them are guilty of using essentially a sweatshop.

That being said, this really is great that the workers are making better wages.

[Yaezakura]

Why does Apple get singled out for using Foxconn as an OEM? Foxconn assembles various electronic devices for all the major companies. All of them are guilty of using essentially a sweatshop.

That being said, this really is great that the workers are making better wages.

Because only Apple has to gall to charge that much for a virtually identical product produced by what amounts to little more than Chinese slave labor. Yeah, other companies do it, but the price of that cheap, cheap Chinese labor is actually reflected in the price.

[Eniliad]

About damn time.

[Art Vandelay]

Why does Apple get singled out for using Foxconn as an OEM? Foxconn assembles various electronic devices for all the major companies. All of them are guilty of using essentially a sweatshop.

That being said, this really is great that the workers are making better wages.

Because only Apple has to gall to charge that much for a virtually identical product produced by what amounts to little more than Chinese slave labor. Yeah, other companies do it, but the price of that cheap, cheap Chinese labor is actually reflected in the price.

I don't think that reflects any relative lack of ethics on Apple's part, just that Apple can charge huge prices and still have people buy their crap. If other companies could get away with it, they'd do it in a heartbeat.