Hon Hai Precision Industry Company Ltd produces products for companies including Apple, Dell, HP, Samsung and Sony. (Rulliat, 2010) The world knows this company as Foxconn because of its stock market ticker. Foxconn uses much cheaper labor than the United States, and unfortunately is known for its unbearable working conditions that have been driving its workers to suicide. Foxconn is located in China, Brazil, Europe, India, Malaysia and Mexico and employs almost 800,000 workers! (BBC News, 2010). These factories assemble almost 40 percent of consumer electronic products in the world! (Foxconn, 2007) Their philosophy is “Speed. Quality. Flexibility.” (Foxconn, 2007) They expect speed from their workers without giving them quality working conditions or flexibility in pay or hours. The problems are mainly happening in China, where it is very difficult to have strong unions, but the problem is present in all Foxconn locations around the world (Rulliat, 2010). Apple got a lot of criticism from the American and British media, along with the consumers because of the Foxconn conditions and suicides. However, it is the consumers who demanded the technology in such high numbers at a relatively cheap price that lead to long hours and low pay for these workers. Foxconn is slowly raising the pay of their workers because of the new criticism they are facing, but this pay is to keep the workers quiet, not because the workers deserve it. As consumers, we need to be more aware of our purchases so we don’t keep hurting the lives of people in similar situations as Akbar Mannem, Graciela Rodriguez and Tian Yu .
No comments:
Post a Comment