150 Chinese workers at a Foxconn factory in the Wuhan province gathered on a rooftop on Wednesday and threatened to jump to their death if poor working conditions were not immediately improved.
Workers were only talked down from their “suicide protest” on top of the three story building two days after it began when a local mayor stepped in to speak with the employees.
According to the Telegraph a worker said they were protesting a new assembly line:
“The assembly line ran very fast, and after just one morning we all had blisters, and the skin on our hand was black,” and “The factory was also really choked with dust and no one could bear it.”
In true Foxconn fashion the iPhone manufacturer said the protest was “successfully and peacefully resolved.” Apparently employees at the plant disagreed after 45 workers immediately resigned following “negotiations.”
Apart from its very successful iPhone and iPad manufacturing business the company also produces gadgets for Sony and Nintendo among other brands.
This isn’t the first time Foxconn has come under fire, quite literally, the company’s unsafe working conditions have led to various plant fires and explosions over the last several years.
14 Foxconn workers committed suicide in 2010 by jumping off various company buildings. To solve the suicide problem Foxconn installed safety nets and installed security cameras.
Perhaps Apple should consider a new manufacturer for its products, maybe one that doesn’t drive so many workers to suicide. Consumers in the meantime can help Apple make up its mind by purchasing Google Android and Windows Phone 7 based devices.
Are you sickened by Foxconn’s business practices and the company’s that give them business?