Foxconn admits to breaching child labour laws - Polidicks

[img]http://asset3.cbsistatic.com/cnwk.1d/i/tim/2012/09/12/IMG_0815_610x407.JPG[/img] [url]http://news.cnet.com/8301-1001_3-57533056-92/foxconn-admits-to-child-labor-law-breach-with-underage-intern-hires/[/url] [quote=CNET]Foxconn has admitted to hiring interns that are under China's legal working age. The company has issued a statement saying that it performed an internal investigation at its Yantai facility in the Shandong Province, and found that some of the interns working there ranged in age from 14 to 16 years old. China's legal working age is 16. "This is not only a violation of China's labor law, it is also a violation of Foxconn policy and immediate steps have been taken to return the interns in question to their educational institutions," the company said in an e-mailed statement to CNET. "We are also carrying out a full investigation, in cooperation with the respective educational institutions, to determine how this happened and the actions that must be taken by our company to ensure that it can never happen again." Foxconn's admission comes just hours after China Labor Watch, an organization that has monitored production efforts in the country, issued a statement saying that it was able to confirm that the Yantai facility did have interns as young as 14 years of age working there over the summer. "These underage interns were mainly sent to Foxconn by schools, but Foxconn did not check the IDs of these young interns," China Labor Watch said in a statement. "The schools involved in this incident should take primary responsible, but Foxconn is also culpable for not confirming the ages of their workers." Foxconn was quick to shoulder the blame, saying in its statement to CNET that "full responsibility for these violations rests with our company and we have apologized to each of the students for our role in this action." Foxconn also said that it will "immediately" terminate any employee found to have been responsible for the violations. The Yantai issue comes just a month after another Foxconn facility in the Jiangsu province in China was hit with charges that the company improperly put interns to work on the production line to make iPhone accessories, including USB cables. Foxconn quickly denied that claim, saying that the Fair Labor Association's audit "found no evidence that any interns were pressured to participate." Earlier reports out of China had claimed that the interns were told that they had to produce the accessories in order to receive academic credits. They reportedly made about $244 a month and were forced to work overtime if they didn't complete their projects. Foxconn didn't spend time focusing on those reports in today's statement, but the company, which produces Apple's iPhone and iPad, along with devices from other tech companies, said that the typical internship lasts three-and-a-half months and interns make up approximately 2.7 percent of its 1.2 million employees in China. "In addition to allowing the students to gain relevant industry experience while earning the same industry-competitive compensation as our full-time entry-level workers, this program gives Foxconn an opportunity to identify participants who have the potential to be excellent full-time employees should they wish to join our company upon graduation from their vocational school," the company said today. Apple earlier this year requested the Fair Labor Association launch an investigation into the manufacturer's business practices. That investigation yielded a host of violations, including excessive overtime and improper pay. Foxconn said at that time that it would amend its policies to address the FLA's concerns. In August, Foxconn was found to have addressed the majority of the complaints, but has several more it needs to rectify by the middle of next year.[/quote]

Well, that's a real fucking bummer, but sadly I am not surprised.

I just wish they would clean up their act or be shut down. They have been violating so many international laws it isn't funny.

And?

And nothing will change. Sure, a few mid-level heads will roll, but production will go on as usual in the same way as before.

[QUOTE=Fangz;38060667]I just wish they would clean up their act or be shut down. They have been violating so many international laws it isn't funny.[/QUOTE] Heres the funny thing This is exactly why china is so big for trans-national corportations as the major manufacturing hub in the world. The moment china starts to adopt strictly enforced stantards of labor laws, higher sustainable wages, etc is when TNC's will pull out and bring manufacturing to some other underdeveloped country that goes, "Sure, we'll only pay our workers $1 a day. It'll give them jobs and that is more than they make currently! So just move your factories here!" That's why china became the big manufacturing hub of the world and why places like the US were left behind. Because due to the powers of globalization, trans national corporations are able to ship things cheaply world wide, and found out its actually cheaper to ship things on a massive frieghter across the ocean while prodcuing your goods at pennies a day, than to ship things across a train line when your goods are produced in a country where workers must be paid and your factories must adhere to strict regulations for worker safety. In this way, TNC's often "above" governments. Because once a government starts improving their standards and cracking down for their workers rights, is when the companies just move their manufacturing to a country that has no labor standards and wants the economic increase having a factory would provide.

Well they and the company are fucked bad,we all know the punishment in China for everityng is deadth

[QUOTE=Fangz;38060667]I just wish they would clean up their act or be shut down. They have been violating so many international laws it isn't funny.[/QUOTE] I wouldn't say shut down. They're responsible for manufacturing parts for devices like the iPad, Xbox 360, and even the Wii U.

In other news, the sky is blue.

[QUOTE=Nidhogg;38063153]I wouldn't say shut down. They're responsible for manufacturing parts for devices like the iPad, Xbox 360, and even the Wii U.[/QUOTE] The most hated and silly devices ever,i always proceed to destroy every i find. And what the hell,i am okay with kids work,as long as they know what are they supposed to do and aren't tortured/breaked human rights.

[QUOTE=Nidhogg;38063153]I wouldn't say shut down. They're responsible for manufacturing parts for devices like the iPad, Xbox 360, and even the Wii U.[/QUOTE] "Lol children? Nah fuck you IPADS!!!!!"

[QUOTE=geel9;38063219]"Lol children? Nah fuck you IPADS!!!!!"[/QUOTE] he didn't say anything that should even warrant that assumption

I thought this was about our FoxConn.

Foxconn is a stereotype Chinese factory.Hires kids,intimidates families,long hours,etc.

[QUOTE=Nidhogg;38063153]I wouldn't say shut down. They're responsible for manufacturing parts for devices like the iPad, Xbox 360, and even the Wii U.[/QUOTE] True, but there are also other factories that produce these products as well.