to this?:
We all hear of factory sweatshops of unbearable working conditions and if you think Apple would not participate in that form of slavery, I suggest you take a seat.
The Foxconn factory in China is the largest Apple supplier in China. Every year, the number of fingers lost on the job is on average 40,000. Their workers consist of women in their teens or 20's who work in unventilated rooms, constantly breathing in toxic chemicals from assembling touchscreens for iPhones, iPods, and iPads. They are denied medical treatment and many are let go from their positions before they get sick so they are not allowed to blame the company for their illness.
The workers are at Foxconn every day, each shift at least over 11 hours. Many of the workers exceed the legal amount of overtime by working 98 hours a week. They are only allowed a little time to eat and sleep and are forbidden to communicate with other workers while on shift.
On the 10th of every month, the workers receive their monthly salary of 900 Chinese Yuan which equals to $156. They make less than the Chinese minimum wage of 55 cents an hour. One anonymous employee is quoted "I am just about making enough to live and can barely save anything and certainly not enough to buy any of these products."
On May 20, 2011, Foxconn experienced a deadly explosion killing three workers and injuring another fifteen. The company and many of news reporter's main concerns were whether or not the factory could still produce the demand for iPads and iPhones.
Since the beginning of the year, there have been 9 reported suicides on factory property. Employees have thrown themselves off the buildings due to the working conditions. One 25 year old worker was reported to jump to his death in July after he was interrogated about missing an iPhone prototype.
Foxconn, also supplying Sony, HP, Microsoft, Nokia, Nintendo, Dell, and Cisco, refuses to join the Green Choice Alliance where working conditions could improve. Other companies such as Walmart and Nike have joined the GCA along with 330 more companies. Unfortunately, Foxcon will not cooperate with the green group.
What is the solution Foxconn came up with? Foxconn is now setting up an agreement with employees stating that they will not commit suicide since the reputation of suicides hurt the company.
And now this:
The "culture of secrecy" is what allows this topic to remain censored, however it is not unknown. Stories like this appear everywhere but it is often ignored due to the fact that people still want the products. It is the constant denial that this is even occurring which allows it to be considered censored.
Sources:
Articles
Huff, Mickey. "Sweatshops in China Are Making Your IPods While Workers Suffer." Censored 2012: Sourcebook for the Media Revolution : the Top Censored Stories and Media Analysis of 2010-2011. New York: Seven Stories, 2011. 121-22. Print.
Director Blue
People's World
Project Censored
