Chinese Amazon plant’s ‘harsh working conditions’ investigated by operator Foxconn
Contract manufacturer to address concerns over factory making Amazon devices, after China Labour Watch report finds excessive hours and low wages
Electronics contract manufacturer Foxconn Technology Group said on Sunday it is investigating a plant in China that makes devices for Amazon.com, after a US watchdog criticised what it described as harsh working conditions at the factory.
A 94-page report by New York-based China Labour Watch, which followed a nine-month investigation, cited excessive hours, low wages, inadequate training and an overreliance on “dispatch” or temporary workers – in violation of Chinese law – at the Hengyang Foxconn plant in southern China’s Hunan province, which makes Echo smart speakers and Kindle e-readers.
“We are carrying out a full investigation of the areas raised by that report, and if found to be true, immediate actions will be taken to bring the operations into compliance with our code of conduct,” Foxconn said in a statement emailed to Reuters.
Taiwan-based Foxconn, known formally as Hon Hai Precision Industry, is the world’s largest electronics contract manufacturer and employs more than a million people.
Foxconn, which also makes Apple's iPhones, came under fire in 2010 for a spate of suicides at its plants in southern China. It pledged to improve working conditions.
China Labour Watch said its investigation had found that about 40 per cent of workers at the plant were dispatch workers, far exceeding the 10 per cent limit under Chinese law.
Dispatch workers were paid at the same rate for regular and overtime hours, rather than time and a half as required, said China Labour Watch programme officer Elaine Lu.