The China Labor Bulletin reproduces some videos that circulated on Chinese social networks where you can see workers fainting exhausted after exhausting shifts at the Foxconn plant, coinciding with the launch of new smartphone models. Overtime up to four times the limit established by Beijing legislation.
Milan (/Agencies) – Some videos published in recent weeks on Chinese social networks by workers at the Zhengzhou plant, in the province of Henan, show Foxconn workers fainting exhausted from the exhausting shifts to which they are subjected to produce the new iPhone models. The videos were reproduced by the website China Labor Bulletin, a Hong Kong-based observatory that monitors labor-related issues in the People’s Republic of China.
“Who can endure 20 consecutive days of night shifts without rest?” says the comment on a video posted on Doujin showing a woman being taken to the hospital after several days of night work. Three days later, another video (which was later deleted) reported that two workers had fainted in Area F of the Foxconn plant. Another video uploaded on October 12 (also deleted) reported on another episode in which an operator faints in a workshop. The China Labor Bulletin was unable to verify whether these cases overlapped.
Foxconn factories in Henan province have significantly extended working hours after the launch of the iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max and would have continued to operate on Saturdays and Sundays, meaning that operators completed 20 consecutive days of work before receiving a single day of rest. The extended work week means higher pay, considering that the average hourly wage is relatively low, around 25.6 yuan. However, the reduction in rest days makes the job more physically demanding. Similar deals to extend working hours have been reported at Foxconn factories in Shenzhen, although there are no known incidents of fainting.
After anonymous complaints were filed, some lines at the Foxconn factory in Zhengzhou reverted to a system of weekly rest days, likely in response to excessively long work hours and incidents of fainting.
Making an operator work for 20 consecutive days contradicts China’s labor law. Article 38 clearly states that employers must guarantee at least one day of rest per week. On the other hand, the overtime established in Foxconn’s program also considerably exceeds legal limits. Reports from several workers indicate that many worked more than 300 hours in October, working almost four times more overtime than permitted under Article 41 of the Labor Law.
A report The China Labor Bulletin’s previous article had already pointed out the widespread problem of excessively long working hours in China’s manufacturing sector. This situation led to a tragic case of death due to overwork at the Qisda electronics factory in Suzhou, Jiangsu, in 2023. Migrant worker Xiao Xu, 23, died after working 13 consecutive night shifts.
The China Labor Bulletin reminds that, as the main buyer of Foxconn products, Apple also has a social responsibility to ensure that working conditions in its factories comply with local labor laws.
“RED LANTERNS” IS THE ASIANEWS NEWSLETTER DEDICATED TO CHINA. DO YOU WANT TO RECEIVE IT EVERY THURSDAY IN YOUR EMAIL? SUBSCRIBE TO THE NEWSLETTER AT THIS LINK
Add Comment