A series of reported worker suicides at Foxconn’s Shenzhen industrial park and other mainland Chinese facilities drew international scrutiny in 2010. The source identifies 14 deaths during the crisis period, including six in its first two and a half months, and links the controversy to low pay, long hours, intense production quotas, and alleged failures to report workplace accidents. A report compiled by 20 Chinese universities after interviews with 1,800 workers at 12 factories described Foxconn’s management as inhumane and abusive, while also alleging illegal overtime, discrimination against mainland workers, and weak workplace relationships. The evidence established severe labor concerns, but did not prove that every suicide had a single workplace cause.
Foxconn initially gave no comment, then adopted a denial-oriented response under spokesperson Liu Kun, while chairman Terry Gou rejected the characterization of the facilities as sweatshops. The company briefly required a waiver limiting liability for worker suicide and later withdrew it after criticism. It installed safety netting, expanded hotlines and counseling, brought in Buddhist monks, and raised Shenzhen wages from 950 yuan to 1,200 yuan while reportedly increasing production quotas by 20%. Apple publicly expressed concern and independently evaluated supplier conditions; Apple-requested Fair Labor Association audits in 2012 found workplace accidents could be commonplace and overtime pay potentially inadequate. The episode made supplier oversight a lasting reputational and regulatory issue for Apple and other Foxconn customers. A further suicide was reported at Foxconn’s Zhengzhou facility on August 18, 2016, and 150 workers threatened suicide during a January 2, 2012 protest.
