A leaked report into conditions at Foxconn describes the company's plants as modern-day “concentration camps,” and claims the suicide problem is worse than reported.
The report, conducted by 20 universities across Greater China, contains allegations of abuse and neglect of workers, Global Times said.
The researchers have called for Taiwan-owned Foxconn and parent Hon Hai to make radical changes to the company's culture and labor practices.
The report describes Foxconn - which manufactures consumer electronic devices for a host of companies including Apple, Dell and HP - as a “concentration camp of workers in the 21st century.”
Employees face verbal abuse and harsh punishments for a long list of named infringements. Around 50% of employees reported being subjected to some form of abuse, with 16% of cases allegedly perpetuated by supervisors or managers.
The authors also claim that Foxconn's employee suicide scandal was worse than reported – the study claims at least 17 employees had tried to commit suicide since January, compared to the 14 widely reported, SCMP.com said.
Foxconn employs a number of interns at its manufacturing facilities. Intern posts are highly sought after, and in some cases make up half of a plant's positions.
While Chinese law states that interns should not work for more than eight hours, Foxconn forces some to work ten hours or more, the authors allege.
These interns do not sign a contract with Foxconn, and so are not eligible for social welfare payments or for compensation for being injured at work.
The report also claims that Foxconn has been negligent with its safety standards. While Chinese law dictates that employees working with hazardous materials receive regular medical checkups, one employee claimed to have received medical support only twice in sixteen years at the firm.
A promised 30% pay hike had allegedly been underprovided, with one workers claiming to have seen only a 9% pay increase.
The fact that sites such as the Global Times received the report has led observers to believe that it had been leaked by the Chinese government.
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