Another Foxconn Worker Commits Suicide

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Another sad day at the major electronics maker of the world.

Despite higher wages and safety nets, there are still some very unhappy workers at Foxconn's factories in China.

According to Reuters, China's Xinhua News Agency reported that another Foxconn employee "fell to death" on early Friday

"The death was confirmed by the municipal government. No further information was immediately available," Xinhua said.

This suicide marks potentially the 14th death at the Foxconn factory. The company hoped to make workers happier with wage increases and to deter suicide attempts by adding safety nets at the edge of the buildings.

The latter effort appeared to have worked until this latest attempt, as this was the first suicide since the implementation of the nets.

Photo: courtesy Gizmodo.

Marcus Yam
Marcus Yam
Marcus Yam served as Tom's Hardware News Director during 2008-2014. He entered tech media in the late 90s and fondly remembers the days when an overclocked Celeron 300A and Voodoo2 SLI comprised a gaming rig with the ultimate street cred.
98 Comments Comment from the forums
  • onyx_64
    Sad... :(
    Reply
  • Pailin
    are they still being "volunteered" to work at a factory with no option to choose their own future...

    as far as I know once they are "chosen" from their college or where ever to work at a Foxconn factory in a certain region (away from family and friends) they cannot say no.

    return thir freedom or they will keep dieing...
    Reply
  • dominatorix
    what is the dangerous job? Fighting in Afghanistan? Praying in a church in Iraq,
    Or working for Foxconn????
    Reply
  • JeanLuc
    @greghome a bit of sensitivity wouldn't be out of place on a news story like this.

    It's about time this got reported on in the mainstream press (more so), the only way things will change is if the public demands computers are built responsible (like fair trade food items) then the likes of Dell, HP and Apple might actually stop using this company.

    I'm ashamed to admit I do have a Foxconn motherboard in my computer and it will be the last. Never again will I buy ANYTHING that has come from this Foxconn and that includes ipads, iphones and anything Apple or parts for my PC.
    Reply
  • TemjinGold
    JeanLucNever again will I buy ANYTHING that has come from this Foxconn and that includes ipads, iphones and anything Apple or parts for my PC.
    So you're going to give up all tech and go live in a cave?
    Reply
  • JeanLuc
    TemjinGoldSo you're going to give up all tech and go live in a cave?
    It's not as if every piece of computer hardware is made by Foxconn. I build my own PC's anyway so it makes it easier for to find out where the products have come from. As for any other items its just a case of finding out if they work with Foxconn or not and you get that from reading reviews of the items you buy which you should do anyway before buying expensive goods.
    Reply
  • Tomtompiper
    Statistically this makes Foxcon one of the safest places to work. The suicide rate in the US is around 20 people per 100,000 per year, Foxcon has 250,000 employees, do the math folks before jumping to conclusions.
    Reply
  • cronik93
    Sweat shop.....yep.
    Reply
  • JeanLuc
    TomtompiperStatistically this makes Foxcon one of the safest places to work. The suicide rate in the US is around 20 people per 100,000 per year, Foxcon has 250,000 employees, do the math folks before jumping to conclusions.
    Yes but people don't normally make a point of committing suicide at there place of work.
    Reply
  • Tomtompiper
    JeanLucYes but people don't normally make a point of committing suicide at there place of work.

    They live on site, in accommodation provided, do you want them to travel outside the complex to kill themselves? These are desperate people who have decided to end it all, they will do whatever works, and jumping off a high roof is probably the easiest option.


    Reply