Work ethics at Apple: "A suicide survivor: the life of a Chinese worker"

In 2010, 18 employees working for Foxconn in China attempted suicide. These shocking events focused the world’s attention on the manufacturing supply chains of China’s export industry and the experience of working within them. What had driven these young, migrant, assembly line workers to commit such a desperate act?

This article provides a first-hand account of the experiences of one of those who survived a suicide attempt, 17-year-old Tian Yu. Her personal narrative is embedded within the broader context of labour process, work organisa-tion and managerial practice at Foxconn, the Taiwanese- owned multinational that provides products and components for Apple and others.

The factory conditions are further shaped by the company trade union and Chinese government policies. The paper concludes with additional contextualisation indi- cating the emergence of an alliance of workers, students, schol- ars and transnational labour movement activists who are campaigning for Chinese workers’ rights

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Think next time you feel an overwhelming desire to acquire the latest gadget. Lives are at stake.

The choice is yours:

This is why Apple products should be taxed beyond all belief, and I mean levy a tax on their devices to the point where you'd have to be damn near rich to purchase them on a regular basis.

American companies who outsource jobs to these countries that allow such appalling labor practices and conditions should not only have their revenues taxed heavily, but the products that are made on foreign soil with foreign workers should be taxed to the point where they won't be able to make a dime from American incomes.

You don't want to hire our people, and pay them a decent wage, while exploiting foreign workers to the point where they want to kill themselves? You should be bled DRY.

Originally posted by supremecommander
This is why Apple products should be taxed beyond all belief, and I mean levy a tax on their devices to the point where you'd have to be damn near rich to purchase them on a regular basis.

American companies who outsource jobs to these countries that allow such appalling labor practices and conditions should not only have their revenues taxed heavily, but the products that are made on foreign soil with foreign workers should be taxed to the point where they won't be able to make a dime from American incomes.

You don't want to hire our people, and pay them a decent wage, while exploiting foreign workers to the point where they want to kill themselves? You should be bled DRY.

We cannot force the chinese government to implement stricter workplace laws as they are the biggest exploiters of their labor sector. However if we boycott their product, it might make a difference on the company's interests/investments overseas to possibly a better country with better workplace laws.