China’s Poverty, Inhumane Work, and The U.S Economy
Djery Clement
Technology is Moving Fast
• Wii• Xbox 360• iPhone• iPad• iKindle• MacBook Pro
We Can’t Live Without Them!
But wait…?
Where do they all come from?
Look No Farther than China
The Ominous Foxconn Factories
pcworld.com
Made by Employees, Not Machines
http://www.nicaraguanbugle.com/2012/09/25/2000-workers-riot-in-foxconn-factory-
in-china/
Cramped Living Conditions
• 10 people a room• Constant surveillance• Restricted activities• Mandatory Rent
Work Management
• Working 10-12 hours a day• Low wages• Constant pressure• Everyday humiliation• Cruel treatment
The average American can afford to pay $321 for an iPhone…
… But a Foxconn worker has to work for 3 months to afford one
No escape…
http://www.daa.org.uk/index.php?mact=Blogs,cntnt01,showentry,0&cntnt01entryid=318&cntnt01returnid=98
Constant pressure…
Suicide is the only way out
http://articles.businessinsider.com/2010-05-27/tech/29964714_1_foxconn-suicide-nets
Workers choose to jump from Foxconn windows…
chinaworker.info
Or hang themselves . . .
Foxconn’s Solution
• Nets around factories• Contracts preventing suicide
http://svtc.org/blog/advocacy/the-foxconn-suicides/
Even Worse…
Foxconn have been using students and interns
impunitywatch.com
They are told they will not graduate if they don’t work
Students’ Working Conditions
• 70% of an adult’s pay• Dismissed from education• Working overnight up to 10 hours
http://www.mactrast.com/2012/09/report-chinese-students-are-being-forced-to-intern-in-foxconn-factories/
At the Same Time…
The government is working together with Foxconn for profit, using these very students!!
Some students have even resorted to suicide
Foxconn’s revenue
$117.5 billion
But they can’t even pay attention to their workers well-being
And all of that profit goes to increase the U.S. economy
Surely there must be a solution…
Improving the working conditions of the employees…
…wouldn’t be a bad place to start!
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