In the midst of the audit of the working conditions at iOS device assemblers' manufacturing plants, Foxconn has announced the third payrise for its employees since 2010.
Taiwan's Foxconn has raised the wage for junior workers at its Shenzhen plants to 1,800 yuan ($286) per month, rising to 2,200 yuan per month if employees pass a technical evaluation, Reutersreported.
In a statement, Foxconn pointed out that the wages it pays its employees are now far higher than local governments' minimum wage standards.
Monthly wages have increased from 900 yuan per month three years ago, when working conditions at the the manufacturer became the subject of global scrutiny following a series of suicides by employees in 2009 and 2010.
Later in 2010, a report was leaked likening the working conditions at Foxconn's contract manufacturing facilities to a concentration camp.
Apple, which has shared the scrutiny over the conditions at Foxconn despite being just one of the manufacturer's many clients, last week announced it had asked the US-based Fair Labor Association (FLA) to probe the labor conditions at all of its assembly suppliers including Foxconn.
In an interview with Bloomberg, FLA CEO Auret van Heerden said the body has identified “tons of issues” at Foxconn that will need to be addressed.
These comments are in contrast to van Heerden's assertion earlier last week that conditions at Foxconn's sites are far better than the norm for Chinese manufacturing plants.
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