2010 Foxconn suicides
Encyclopedia
The Foxconn
suicides occurred between January and November, 2010, when eighteen Foxconn
employees attempted suicide
with fourteen deaths. The suicides drew media attention, and employment practices at Foxconn
, a large contract manufacturer
, were investigated by several of its customers. Foxconn is a major manufacturer catering to famous-name brands including Apple
, Dell, HP
, Motorola
, Nintendo
, Sony
and Nokia
.
The suicides prompted 20 Chinese universities to compile a report on Foxconn, which they decried as a labour camp. Other experts have claimed that employees are treated comparatively well at Foxconn, but news reports have been critical. Long working hours, discrimination of mainland Chinese
workers by their Taiwan
ese coworkers, and a lack of working relationships have all been cited as potential causes.
The Foxconn deaths may have been a product of economic conditions in China during 2010. These conditions also led to several major strike action
s at high-profile manufacturers in China. The Lewisian turning-point and the decline in the surplus Chinese labour-pool are two potential macro-economic factors. The number of suicides is still less than half of the national rate, and that the payment of a life insurance and pension may have also been a factor.
In response, Foxconn substantially increased wages for its southern China workforce, installed suicide-prevention netting, and asked employees to sign no-suicide pledges.
A Hong Kong
-based non-profit organization, Students & Scholars Against Corporate Misbehaviour, also produced a report on Foxconn employee mistreatment.
Foxconn
The Foxconn Technology Group is a multinational business group anchored by the Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd. , a Taiwan-registered corporation headquartered in Tucheng, Taiwan...
suicides occurred between January and November, 2010, when eighteen Foxconn
Foxconn
The Foxconn Technology Group is a multinational business group anchored by the Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd. , a Taiwan-registered corporation headquartered in Tucheng, Taiwan...
employees attempted suicide
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
with fourteen deaths. The suicides drew media attention, and employment practices at Foxconn
Foxconn
The Foxconn Technology Group is a multinational business group anchored by the Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd. , a Taiwan-registered corporation headquartered in Tucheng, Taiwan...
, a large contract manufacturer
Contract manufacturer
A contract manufacturer is a manufacturer that contracts with a firm for components or products. It is a form of outsourcing.-Business model:...
, were investigated by several of its customers. Foxconn is a major manufacturer catering to famous-name brands including Apple
Apple Computer
Apple Inc. is an American multinational corporation that designs and markets consumer electronics, computer software, and personal computers. The company's best-known hardware products include the Macintosh line of computers, the iPod, the iPhone and the iPad...
, Dell, HP
Hewlett-Packard
Hewlett-Packard Company or HP is an American multinational information technology corporation headquartered in Palo Alto, California, USA that provides products, technologies, softwares, solutions and services to consumers, small- and medium-sized businesses and large enterprises, including...
, Motorola
Motorola
Motorola, Inc. was an American multinational telecommunications company based in Schaumburg, Illinois, which was eventually divided into two independent public companies, Motorola Mobility and Motorola Solutions on January 4, 2011, after losing $4.3 billion from 2007 to 2009...
, Nintendo
Nintendo
is a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel....
, Sony
Sony
, commonly referred to as Sony, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan and the world's fifth largest media conglomerate measured by revenues....
and Nokia
Nokia
Nokia Corporation is a Finnish multinational communications corporation that is headquartered in Keilaniemi, Espoo, a city neighbouring Finland's capital Helsinki...
.
The suicides prompted 20 Chinese universities to compile a report on Foxconn, which they decried as a labour camp. Other experts have claimed that employees are treated comparatively well at Foxconn, but news reports have been critical. Long working hours, discrimination of mainland Chinese
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
workers by their Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
ese coworkers, and a lack of working relationships have all been cited as potential causes.
The Foxconn deaths may have been a product of economic conditions in China during 2010. These conditions also led to several major strike action
Strike action
Strike action, also called labour strike, on strike, greve , or simply strike, is a work stoppage caused by the mass refusal of employees to work. A strike usually takes place in response to employee grievances. Strikes became important during the industrial revolution, when mass labour became...
s at high-profile manufacturers in China. The Lewisian turning-point and the decline in the surplus Chinese labour-pool are two potential macro-economic factors. The number of suicides is still less than half of the national rate, and that the payment of a life insurance and pension may have also been a factor.
In response, Foxconn substantially increased wages for its southern China workforce, installed suicide-prevention netting, and asked employees to sign no-suicide pledges.
Pre-2010
While the 2010 incidents were remarkable for their extent, the company has suffered other employee suicides as well.| English name | Chinese name | Gender | Age | Suicide attempt date | Description | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Female | 19 | 18 Jun 2007 | Hanged herself in a company bathroom. Investigators ruled the death to be a suicide. | died | ||
| Liu Bing | 刘兵 | Male | 21 | 01 Sep 2007 | Died suddenly two hours after being discharged from work | died |
| Male | 28 | 16 Mar 2008 | Circumstances unknown | unknown | ||
| Sun Dan-yong | 孙丹勇 | Male | 25 | 16 Jul 2009 | Fell from apartment building after losing an iPhone IPhone The iPhone is a line of Internet and multimedia-enabled smartphones marketed by Apple Inc. The first iPhone was unveiled by Steve Jobs, then CEO of Apple, on January 9, 2007, and released on June 29, 2007... prototype in his possession. Prior to death, he was beaten and his residence searched by Foxconn employees. |
died |
2010
An estimate of eighteen Foxconn employees attempted suicide in 2010, with fourteen deaths.| English name | Chinese name | Gender | Age | Suicide attempt date | Description | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ma Xiang-qian | 马向前 | Male | 19 | 23 Jan 2010 | Fell from building | unknown |
| Male | 20+ | 11 Mar 2010 | Fell from building | unknown | ||
| Tian Yu | 田玉 | Female | 17 | 17 Mar 2010 | Fell from building. Later she was interviewed by media. Paralyzed from waist down | |
| Mr. Lau | Male | 23 | 29 Mar 2010 | Fell from building | unknown | |
| Rao Shu-qin | 饶淑琴 | Female | 19 | 06 Apr 2010 | Fell from building | |
| Female | 18 | 07 Apr 2010 | Fell from building. | unknown | ||
| Lu Xin | 卢新 | Male | 24 | 6 May 2010 | Fell from building | died |
| Zhu Chen-ming | 祝晨明 | Female | 24 | 11 May 2010 | Fell from building | unknown |
| Liang Chao | 梁超 | Male | 21 | 14 May 2010 | Fell from building | unknown |
| Nan Gan | 南刚 | Male | 21 | 21 May 2010 | Fell from building | unknown |
| Li Hai | 李海 | Male | 19 | 25 May 2010 | Fell from building | died |
| Male | 23 | 26 May 2010 | Fell from building | unknown | ||
| Male | 25 | 27 May 2010 | Suicide | died | ||
| Male | 18 | 20 Jul 2010 | Fell from the sixth floor of a dormitory building | died | ||
| Male | 23 | 05 Nov 2010 | Fell from building | died |
2011
| English name | Chinese name | Gender | Age | Suicide attempt date | Description | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wang Ling | unknown | Female | 25 | 7 Jan 2011 | Jumped from building after being sent to a psychiatric hospital. | |
| Unknown | unknown | Male | 20 | 26 May 2011 | Fell from building. Died at Chengdu Chengdu Chengdu , formerly transliterated Chengtu, is the capital of Sichuan province in Southwest China. It holds sub-provincial administrative status... Pi County Pi County Pi County is a county within Chengdu City, Sichuan Province, China. It is located just 10 km north-west of Chengdu's city centre... Deyuan |
died |
| Mr. Cai | 蔡XX | Male | 21 | 18 July 2011 | Fell from building at Shenzhen Shenzhen Shenzhen is a major city in the south of Southern China's Guangdong Province, situated immediately north of Hong Kong. The area became China's first—and one of the most successful—Special Economic Zones... plant. Only started working since June 27, 2011. |
died |
| Li Rongying | unknown | Female | 20 | 23 November 2011 | Jumped from fourth floor of a building over disappointment in a relationship. | died |
Report
An 83 page report detailing the Foxconn suicides and labor conditions was produced by 20 universities in Hong Kong, Taiwan and mainland China. Interviews of 1,800 Foxconn workers at 12 factories found evidence of illegal overtime and failure to report accidents. The report also criticized Foxconn's management style, which it called inhumane and abusive.A Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
-based non-profit organization, Students & Scholars Against Corporate Misbehaviour, also produced a report on Foxconn employee mistreatment.
In the media
- Sacom.hk Workers as Machines: Military Management in Foxconn. Report from Hong Kong-based non-profit Students & Scholars Against Corporate Misbehaviour (SACOM)
- Deconstructing Foxconn video from Chinese University of Hong KongChinese University of Hong KongThe Chinese University of Hong Kong is a research-led university in Hong Kong.CUHK is the only tertiary education institution in Hong Kong with Nobel Prize winners on its faculty, including Chen Ning Yang, James Mirrlees, Robert Alexander Mundell and Charles K. Kao...
professor Jack Qiu
See also
- 2010 Chinese labour unrest
- France Télécom staff suicides