Foxconn Labor Disputes Far From Over

Despite Apple’s continuing confidence with Foxconn, the iPhone manufacturer cannot seem to get a break when it comes to dealing with its usual issue: the working conditions of its employees. And we are not just talking about Foxconn’s plants in China, as its workers in Brazil have complained big time as well.

Hong Kong-based activist group Information Center for Human Rights (ICHR) reported on Friday that an around 200 workers from Foxconn’s Wuhan City facility demanded higher salaries. So much so that they climbed up to the factory’s roof and threatened to jump all together to their death if their demands were not met. The police responded to the strike and the workers, well, they went back to their shift.

A representative of Foxconn told Reuters that there wasn’t any kind of strike, claiming that the workers involved in the ruckus were new to the plant. He added that the dispute has already been settled. ICHR, however, told Reuters that the workers who threatened to go Suicide Club had to take drastic measures because they were earning less in Foxconn Wuhan compared to their previous jobs.

Meanwhile, around 2,500 workers at Foxconn’s factory in Jundiai, Brazil, have been complaining about sub-human conditions such as overcrowded shuttles, bad food, and lack of water. The reportedly met with executives last Monday to raise concerns, demanding that their employer resolve the issues within 10 days.

Local reports indicated that Foxconn’s disputes with its Brazilian employees began when it hired over 1,000 more employees without increasing the transport infrastructure to accommodate the new hires. Also, Foxconn has supposedly hired water trucks to deliver water for its employees. Could this be a sign that the factory lacks running water?

A representative for the disgruntled employees said they were “optimistic that an amicable solution could be reached with Foxconn without resorting to a strike.”

Source: Reuters and Apple Insider, via Tom’s Hardware