Foxconn announced on Thursday that it sat down and resolved the dispute with its workers from Wuhan, China. The company claims that the protest involved 150 of 32,000 workers at the campus, some of which threatened the company with suicide.
Foxcon said that although the dispute was resolved peacefully, 45 workers resigned. It refused to provide more details but, apparently, one worker claims that he was promised additional compensation.
Some of the workers were disgruntled over forced moves from Shenzen to Wuhan, latter of which is said to have much worse working conditions. One of these workers claims that they were promised $450 a month and overtime pay, ultimately receiving less than a third of this amount.
You may recall that Foxconn was hit by a wave of suicides in its plants in China. After showing enviable ingenuity and compassion by putting up safety nets, the company resorted to other means such as psychiatry and talking to its workers. It is said that this is a result of pressure applied by Apple and other clients.
In yet another move that shows it cares, Foxconn began investing in robots. The company also moved some of its production to central and western China as this region has lower labor costs.
Foxconn said: “The welfare of our employees is our top priority, and we are committed to ensuring that all employees are treated fairly and that their rights are fully protected.” Perhaps they should’ve painted hearts on their safety nets, as it would make a much better statement of their generous benevolence.
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