Envoyé Spécial, a 60 Minutes-like program from public TV station France 2, went undercover at the Zhengzhou iPhone 5 Foxconn factory recently (within the past two months) and reported many of the same problems the Chinese manufacturer and Apple promised to fix earlier this year. According to the story that aired last night, dorms at the new factory were occupied by workers despite the fact that many were still under construction and had no elevators, electricity or running water -- apparently because builders focused on the production lines at the expense of housing. A Foxconn manager even warned employees on hidden camera not to plug devices into dorms that did have electricity, saying that eight workers were killed in a fire after overloading circuits.
Filed under: Cellphones, Apple
Source: France 2 (Envoye Special)
Unbox that shiny new iPhone 5 only to find it marred with scratches and blemishes? Good news: Apple is asking Foxconn to adhere to stricter quality demands for its flagship handset. Not so great news: workers at the firm's Zhengzhou factory are striking over the demands. According to China Labor Watch, three to four thousand workers stepped off the production line to protest the new standards, which only allow for a 0.02mm appearance defect. "It's tough under such stringent quality requirements," writes Sina Weibo user and Foxconn employee Yefudao. "A 0.02mm appearance defect is already beyond that of our vision. With such a demanding task, workers' mental pressure becomes so immense that they have to vent it out."
China Labor Watch reports that the issue stems not only from the higher quality demands, but the fact that workers are being asked to meet them without receiving the training necessary to do so. The situation hasn't broken out into a riot, but a dispute between line workers and quality control inspectors reportedly sparked a fight that led to property damage, injury and some hospitalization. Production lines have temporarily been frozen by management while Foxconn deals with the situation.
Workers at Foxconn's Zhengzhou factory strike in reaction to new iPhone 5 quality standards originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 06 Oct 2012 01:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink |
Sina Weibo (login required), China Labor Watch | Email this | Comments 
The State Grid corporation of China is constructing a power line capable of transmitting a staggering 37 billion kWh per year. The record-breaking cable stretches from the power rich eastern Hami Prefecture to the energy-starved city of Zhengzhou towards the east. Costing a twitch-inducing $3.7 billion, when it's completed in 2014, it'll be the most capacious link in the world. Rather than rest on that particular laurel, the company is commencing work on a second, slightly smaller line that'll be used to transmit wind and solar power from Hami to the rest of the country -- here we were thinking that skipping our lie-in was an impressive feat.
China builds $3.7 billion, 1,373 mile power cable, how was your afternoon? originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 14 May 2012 09:28:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink
The Register | China Daily | Email this | Comments