Foxconn Holds Anti-Suicide Rally for Employees
Foxconn held an anti-suicide rally at its Shenzhen plant in an effort to boost morale.
Over the last few months, Foxconn has taken various different steps to try and put a stop to the spate of suicides that have plagued the company over the last few months. The Taiwanese electronics manufacturer has hired monks, exorcists and counselors; erected nets to catch jumpers; asked staff to sign no-suicide contracts and twice raised the salaries of employees. This week the company is adding "no-suicide rally" to that list.
The Independent reports that Foxconn yesterday held a rally for to boost morale at the branch most affected by the suicide cluster. The company dished out tshirts, pom-poms and superhero and cheerleader costumes, during a rally in a stadium in Foxconn's Shenzhen industrial park. The stadium was decorated with colorful banners bearing the words "Treasure your life, love your family."
"In the past, from the time we started work until when we finished, we would not really have a break. But now we've been given time to rest," the Independent quotes 18-year-old Huang Jun as saying.
The newspaper also cites Louis Woo, special assistant to Foxconn founder Terry Gou, who says the company will be adding to it's already 920,000 strong workforce, increasing it to 1.3 million workers across 16 factories sometime next year.

The forum ate my post. I was trying to say that maybe taking pictures of their male employees wearing pink "I 'heart' Foxconn" shirts, and then sending the pics to the media, might not be the best strategy at suicide prevention.
In all seriousness tho, as much of a callous jerk as I am, I hope that the improved working conditions have reduced the suicide rates. The poor folks just want to work, and have limited means to do so outside of these factories.
yeah i was thinking the same thing. that guys sure looks happy. maybe pink just isnt his color?
Someone replaced a few random nets with razor wire.
Suicide rates at Foxconn are 1/7th of the national average.
They are obviously doing something right.
Sure, a dozen people have killed themselves, but we are not talking a office with a hundred people, we are talking about a company with more people in a single factory than live in the entire City of Detroit.
How many people in Detroit commited suicide last year? If they follow the national average of the USA it will be just over 100 people. So dont rag on Foxconn when you clearly dont have your own house in order, they are doing much better than the rest of us and stats show that it isn't even a cultural thing.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_suicide_rate
China as a whole has a higher suicide rate of 13.9 per 100,000 compared to the USA of 11.1 per 100,000.
If the rate of suicides stays constant for the rest of the year there will be approx 18 out of 920,000
That's 1.9 per 100,000
That's 7.3 times less than China as a whole and 5.8 times less than the USA
Comparing Foxconn suicide rates as if they were another nation they would be amongst the lowest in the world
Back to using Detroit as an example, 28 per 100,000 Policemen in Detroit kill themselves
http://www.mlive.com/news/detroit/index.ssf/2009/09/suicide_rate_of_detroit_cops_h.html
That's over 14 times more than Foxconn
So when is the Detroit PD going to hire monks, exorcists, counselors and put up nets?
There is no suicide problem at Foxconn, stop telling people there is
Whose ass went to jail for that? UNACCEPTABLE
Well, THEY either choose to work for actually quite a good company, or to work for somebody else. If they go hungry, many situations it is their own fault, but i agree we should sympathize with those who it isnt their fault.