Undercover
Report From
Foxconn's Hell
Factory
Chinese
newspaper
Southern Weekly
sent 20-year-old
reporter Liu Zhi
Yi undercover in
Foxconn's
factory in
Shenzhen, China.
For 28 days, he
experienced
dreadful
conditions that
the factory's
400,000
employees
endure, churning
out iPods, iPads,
and iPhones for
Apple nonstop.
There's no doubt
about it. The
Foxconn suicides
were caused by
job stress.
Within half a
year, there have
been nine
suicides
attempts with
seven confirmed
deaths at
Foxconn's
Shenzhen
factory. In the
last month, that
number suddenly
increased to 30
new suicide
attempts,
prompting the
company to hire
counselors and
even Buddhist
monks to free
the souls of the
suicidal from
purgatory.
Foxconn is one
of Apple's main
manufacturer
contractors.
Thousands of Mac
minis, iPods,
iPhones and
iPads are
assembled daily
in the Shenzhen
factory, which
runs 24/7. The
company also
produces some
products for
Intel, Dell, and
HP, among
others.
After the sixth
suicide attempt
in April,
Southern
Weekly—described
by The New York
Times as China's
most influential
liberal
newspaper—sent a
young reporter
to sneak into
the factory as a
worker. At the
same time, they
sent a senior
reporter to talk
with Foxconn's
executives.
Their mission:
To discover
what's really
going on in that
factory, and
find out the
true reasons
behind the
suicides.
During his 28
days of
investigation,
Liu Zhi Yi was
shocked to
discover how the
factory workers
live in a sort
of indentured
servitude. They
work all day
long, stopping
only to quickly
eat or to sleep.
They repeat the
same routine
again and again
except on public
holidays. Liu
surmised that
for many
workers, the
only escape from
this cycle was
to end their
life.
Liu, a graduate
student, was
chosen because
of his young
age, since the
factory only
hires workers in
their twenties.
He was hired
without issue.
He signed only
one special
document: An
overtime working
agreement that
says the company
is not
responsible for
their long hours
of working.
According to
Liu, this
voluntary
agreement
overrules
Chinese state
regulation.
Foxconn workers
only smile on
the 10th of
every month.
That's the day
when they get
their salaries.
That day, the
ATM machines
inside the
factory are
crowded with
workers. Their
monthly salaries
start at 900
Chinese
Yuan—about $130.
Most of the
workers had
nothing to say
about the
popular Apple
products they
assemble. Most
can't afford to
own an Apple
product. Their
salaries can
only buy them
knockoff
versions. While
gadget
aficionados
worldwide
discuss which
iPhone they
should buy,
Foxconn workers
debate the
merits of
differing
knockoffs.
Tales from the
factory
Liu had his most
interesting
chats with other
workers during
meals. Some told
him that they
envied workers
who are sick.
They get leave
approvals and
can get some
rest. They also
discussed about
accidents in the
factory: One
worker got his
finger cut-off
during
production. A
few workers
think that the
machines are
cursed. They
believe it's
dangerous for
them to use the
machines.
Another worker
spoke about one
of the favorite
activities in
the factory
lines: He likes
to drop stuff on
the floor. Why?
Workers spend
achingly up to
eight hours
standing up, so
they feel that
squatting down
to grab a fallen
object is the
most restful
moment of their
working day.
Workers call
their warehouse
trolleys their
"BMWs". While
pulling them
around, stacked
high with tons
of goods, they
imagine the real
BMW they hope to
one day own.
According to one
worker, they
can't live
without these
dreams. They
dream of
becoming rich
one day. Some
spend part of
their salaries
buying lottery
tickets and
betting on horse
races.
There are other
kind of dreams
too. Liu says
that some of
them complain
about their love
lives. They just
can't find
lovers in that
environment, so
they have to
find
alternatives: In
some internet
cafes—hiding in
restaurants
outside the
factory—young
men can buy
access to
clandestine porn
videos. However,
the men say that
the movies get
boring after
long periods of
time.
Many wouldn't
talk of the
suicides. Others
joked about it.
One of the
problems may be
the lack of
communication
and friendships
between work
colleagues. Many
workers don't
even know the
names of the
people working
next to them. In
fact, according
to Southern
Weekly, the
workers find
difficult to
relate to each
other because
they are always
wearing
identical work
uniforms and
performing the
same tasks
everyday. They
have no
interesting
topics to chat
about because
all they do is
work. If an
employee becomes
too stressed,
they often have
no one with
which to share
their feelings
or to approach
for help solving
their problems.
Perhaps the 100
counselors hired
by Foxconn will
help. I wish
they had movie
theaters and
shopping malls
inside to help
them relax. But,
at the end, the
most important
thing is that
Foxconn really
needs to be more
human and be
concerned about
the
health—mental
and physical—of
their workers,
instead of
treating them
like dogs.
Chris Chang
originally
posted about Liu
Zhi Yi's
Southern Weekly
reports on M.I.C.
Gadget, a site
featuring life,
gadgets, and
subculture in
China.
For the original
story and more
photos go to:
The Real
Truth Behind
Foxconn’s
Suicide Cluster
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