Another Foxconn worker dies in China; 9th in 2010

Source: AP

In what is starting to look like a trend for the Chinese giant Foxconn, another worker has committed suicide this year, now totaling 9 for 2010.

A worker at Foxconn Technology Group, which makes iPhones and iPads, jumped to his death Friday from a building in the southern Chinese boomtown of Shenzhen — the ninth suicide this year at the world’s largest contract maker of electronics, state-run media reported.

The latest victim, logistics worker Nan Gang, 21, leapt from a four-story factory building about a half hour after finishing his shift at 4 a.m., reported the Xinhua News Agency, quoting a city police spokesman, Huang Jianwei. Nan, a migrant from central Hubei province, landed on his head and died at the scene, Xinhua said, without providing further details.

A total 11 Foxconn workers have jumped off buildings this year, and two of them survived.

Also Friday, Xinhua said that another worker, Rong Bo, leapt off a building and killed himself on Jan. 8 at a Foxconn plant in the northern city of Langfang in Hebei province. His death went unreported until Friday when it was finally confirmed by officials after relatives reported it to the media, Xinhua said.

The deaths have raised more questions about working conditions at Foxconn’s massive complex, which labor activists allege has a long history of mistreatment of workers. They claim workers — which total about 300,000 — are pushed hard, toil under tremendous pressure and face harsh discipline for making mistakes.

There was no immediate comment about Friday’s death from Foxconn, owned by Taiwan’s Hon Hai Precision Industry Co. The corporate behemoth has also produced computers for Hewlett-Packard Co., PlayStation game consoles for Sony Corp. and mobile phones for Nokia Corp.

After a suicide earlier this month, Foxconn said its workers enjoyed world-class treatment. Company spokesman Arthur Huang said in an e-mail to The Associated Press that Foxconn carried out social responsibility programs to ensure the welfare of its employees.

Recent suicides include a 24-year-old male factory worker surnamed Lu who jumped from a building inside the factory complex earlier this month.

The highest-profile death happened last July when Sun Danyong, 25, jumped to his death after being interrogated over a missing iPhone prototype. Sun was responsible for sending the device to U.S.-based Apple Inc.

Showing 14 comments

Foxconn Will Move Some Apple Production to Other Factories at 10:01am 29th June 2010 [...] to other parts of the country as it faces rising labour costs, reports said Tuesday.After a run of suicides and wage hikes, Foxconn will move some manufacturing from Shenzhen to northern Tianjin and central [...]
skeptic at 9:36pm 24th May 2010 Ian. Did you even READ what I wrote? You literally completely missed everything written. Its not about the FACTS, but the INTERPRETATION.

9 out of 300,000 people that work on company x commited suicide... The question is... WHY DOES IT have anything to do with company x? Do you realize how tiny 9 out of 300,000 is? Do you realize the general population has the same or worse ratio of suicides at random times?

Do you actually buy any interpretation the media serves you without skepticism and asking "Wait, does this make sense?" You do realize media fulfill political purposes?

I could make a story like "Yesterday 3434 blue-eyed people commited sucide". It would be factually accurate. But the point is. What does it have to do with them being blue-eyed? People of all types commit suicide any day. This is why skepticism should be taught in school. People actually gobble what the media tells them without even pondering for 2 seconds if it makes sense.
Ian Bell at 10:57pm 23rd May 2010 The story was written by the Associated Press and featured everywhere including CNN. I doubt the AP had their facts wrong.
skeptic at 6:58pm 23rd May 2010 OMG, skepticism should be taught in schools, an obvious proof is the reactions to this story.

Doesn't anybody know stats and odds? "the world’s largest contract maker of electronics"... It is the size of a small COUNTRY. You do realize that suicides in the general population anywhere are just as high.

People are just so naive these days, you can make a story about anything, and link anything to anything else, without people even questioning the argument. Nine is hardly a serious statistical sample to claim any relation to the parent company. They might have all just as well just been dumped by their girlfriend.
Tim Larkin at 9:01am 23rd May 2010 Working conditions will improve. We've seen this type of abuse in every country that became industrialized. Besides, there are other factors in China that could lead to suicide, such as population control. The ratio of men to women is 60% to 40%. That can only increase stress.

Eventually, the employees will gain leverage as they gain skill and will be treated better.

China has it better than the West since we will raise a flag against abuse. The West did not have anyone to raise the flag for them since they were the first to be industrialized.
dang at 5:21pm 21st May 2010 hehehe
Ian Bell at 1:31pm 21st May 2010 Yes, that was on purpose. Just checking to see if you were paying attention.
Typo2 at 12:48pm 21st May 2010 Tell me that was on purpose.
"...Thanks for find it..."
Even your replies have typos!
Ian Bell at 12:43pm 21st May 2010 Fixed! Thanks for find it.
Typo at 12:38pm 21st May 2010 "In what is starting to look like a trend for the Chinese giant Foxconn, another worker has committed suicide this year, not totaling 9 for 2010."

Did you mean "now totaling 9 for 2010"?
Son at 12:33pm 21st May 2010 Apple, if you're reading this. I'd be willing to pay an extra $1K on top of your reg prices if my macbook would be entirely made in the USA. I'm not rich, but I'm sure others would do the same.
ack at 12:32pm 21st May 2010 Sad, dude. God bless you.
Jim Z at 11:43am 21st May 2010 Enjoy hell, dude.
Sam at 11:25am 21st May 2010 But dang, it is SOO worth it. My Apple iPhone and iPad ROCK!!!