Foxconn to raise workers’ wages

Foxconn is to raise its workers’ wages by 20 per cent, following the death of one employee last Wednesday and the attempted suicide of another the following day.

According to Reuters, the company claims that the salary rise had been planned for some time and wasn’t a response to a spate of suicide attempts this year. However, delegations from a number of Foxconn clients, including HP, Dell and Apple, are currently investigating worker conditions at the 300,000 strong Longhua factory.

“It may help the suicide situation, because we workers just need money and the financial pressure on us is great,” an anonymous Foxconn employee told Reuters. “Every little bit helps.”

So far this year ten employees have jumped from buildings at Foxconn’s Longhua facility, with another worker attempting to slit his wrists. Eight of these attempts have been successful.