Globalization Project
Noah Hotchkiss
The Hidden Side of Globalization
Foxconn has brought many jobs to the poor people of China. After 3,000 people lined up at Foxconn for an opportunity to work at the factory, they were then forced to sign a contract.
The main purpose of the contract was to ensure confidentiality — trade secrets, salaries — but it also included a waiver, where the people had to waive their rights to a clean, safe, and quiet work environment. Not a good start (The contract site). Then the new Foxconn employee is put through an intensive 7-day training program, where the main tenet is to simply obey (Intensive training program).
The working conditions that the workers agreed to are inhumane. They are overworked, and under payed in deplorable conditions.
In 2010 alone, 18 workers, all of whom were 25 and younger, attempted to jump to their deaths. "I can't bear it anymore. Everyday is like: I get off from work and I go to bed. I get up in the morning, and I go to work. It is my daily routine and I almost feel like an animal," Said Chen, an employee at Foxconn (The verge). This is no doubt why Foxconn placed a net below its employee’s dormitories (The policymic source).
This is a daily life of millions of workers like Chen. Foxconn is a major supplier to Apple and other various companies specializing in electronics. Foxconn provides many of the world’s touch screen products. While people are enjoying the convenience of these products, employees are working under slave like conditions. Although globalization has brought us many technological innovations, these things have come at the price of workers dignity.
That's not the only reason people are trying to kill themselves. Some of their restrictions come from a more damaging side. Studies have shown that more than half of the workforce on average had worked beyond the Chinese legal limit of 36 overtime hours per month in all three facilities (Forbes source). The daily worker shifts are 12 hours and include two one-hour long meal breaks (Mashable source).
People are also falling to their death due to the lack of substance in all three factories. Tian Yu, a 17-year old Chinese employee of Foxconn was in a coma for 12 days after her suicide attempt. Foxconn’s sweatshop-like conditions forced her to skip meals and accept the manufacturer’s restricted toilet break policy (Tian yu article). Skipping meals is a common way for employees to save a little bit of money due to the price of food and rent costs at this company.
In addition the working hours and tasks are extreme. One employee's job is to pick up a raw, unfinished back plate, and mark four drilling points with a pen, in under three seconds. He must do this for 10 hours a day, without breaks. He was exhausted and went to lay down for a while — but he was spotted by the supervisor and commanded to stand and face the corner of the room for 10 minutes (The worker).
This is hard to believe and very inhumane and I don't think the products are worth the price of human dignity.
The worst of these offenses are the inconceivable violations of child labor laws. Apple has sent a medical team to China to discover the cause of death of a 15-year-old boy working a at plant that makes the new iPhone 5c (15 year old boy death site). But this is not the only under aged child that works there currently. Foxconn also works with internships from local school's to come and work at the factories for 3 months, unpaid. It defended its intern program on Tuesday, saying they made up only 2.7 percent of its workforce in China. I think this is not a legitimate internship program to be sending kids to. People have died and committed suicide due to this company, and I do not think it is a place where children would want to work. Also during this time they are not receiving an education, but learning how to work in a sweatshop.
Although globalization has brought us many technological advances, I do not think it is worth a person’s health, life and dignity. I want you to know that a persons well-being is worth more than all the iPhones and touch screen electronics on the world. Now I want your help getting this message across send this paper out to the world and let’s fight for the rights of many. This is not inevitable, we have a choice, so let's come together and make a change.
"No one gets left behind"
Work Cited
http://mashable.com/2012/02/22/foxconn/ Samantha Murphy Kelly, 10 Staggering Facts Behind Apple's Foxconn Factory.
http://www.extremetech.com/computing/135976-before-you-buy-the-iphone-5-read-this-undercover-report-on-how-its-made Sebastain Anthony, Before you buy the iPhone 5, read this undercover report on how it’s made.
http://www.theverge.com/2012/2/6/2775539/foxconn-apple-factory-working-conditions-employee-interview Adi Robertson, A Foxconn worker speaks out about factory conditions.
http://www.policymic.com/articles/58267/why-are-chinese-workers-at-apple-suppliers-foxconn-and-pegatron-trying-to-commit-suicide Bryant Harris, Why Are Chinese Workers At Apple Suppliers Foxconn and Pegatron Trying to Commit Suicide?
http://www.forbes.com/sites/connieguglielmo/2013/12/12/apples-labor-practices-in-china-scrutinized-after-foxconn-pegatron-reviewed/ Connie Guglielmo, Apple's Supplier Labor Practices In China Scrutinized After Foxconn, Pegatron Reviews.
The Hidden Side of Globalization
Foxconn has brought many jobs to the poor people of China. After 3,000 people lined up at Foxconn for an opportunity to work at the factory, they were then forced to sign a contract.
The main purpose of the contract was to ensure confidentiality — trade secrets, salaries — but it also included a waiver, where the people had to waive their rights to a clean, safe, and quiet work environment. Not a good start (The contract site). Then the new Foxconn employee is put through an intensive 7-day training program, where the main tenet is to simply obey (Intensive training program).
The working conditions that the workers agreed to are inhumane. They are overworked, and under payed in deplorable conditions.
In 2010 alone, 18 workers, all of whom were 25 and younger, attempted to jump to their deaths. "I can't bear it anymore. Everyday is like: I get off from work and I go to bed. I get up in the morning, and I go to work. It is my daily routine and I almost feel like an animal," Said Chen, an employee at Foxconn (The verge). This is no doubt why Foxconn placed a net below its employee’s dormitories (The policymic source).
This is a daily life of millions of workers like Chen. Foxconn is a major supplier to Apple and other various companies specializing in electronics. Foxconn provides many of the world’s touch screen products. While people are enjoying the convenience of these products, employees are working under slave like conditions. Although globalization has brought us many technological innovations, these things have come at the price of workers dignity.
That's not the only reason people are trying to kill themselves. Some of their restrictions come from a more damaging side. Studies have shown that more than half of the workforce on average had worked beyond the Chinese legal limit of 36 overtime hours per month in all three facilities (Forbes source). The daily worker shifts are 12 hours and include two one-hour long meal breaks (Mashable source).
People are also falling to their death due to the lack of substance in all three factories. Tian Yu, a 17-year old Chinese employee of Foxconn was in a coma for 12 days after her suicide attempt. Foxconn’s sweatshop-like conditions forced her to skip meals and accept the manufacturer’s restricted toilet break policy (Tian yu article). Skipping meals is a common way for employees to save a little bit of money due to the price of food and rent costs at this company.
In addition the working hours and tasks are extreme. One employee's job is to pick up a raw, unfinished back plate, and mark four drilling points with a pen, in under three seconds. He must do this for 10 hours a day, without breaks. He was exhausted and went to lay down for a while — but he was spotted by the supervisor and commanded to stand and face the corner of the room for 10 minutes (The worker).
This is hard to believe and very inhumane and I don't think the products are worth the price of human dignity.
The worst of these offenses are the inconceivable violations of child labor laws. Apple has sent a medical team to China to discover the cause of death of a 15-year-old boy working a at plant that makes the new iPhone 5c (15 year old boy death site). But this is not the only under aged child that works there currently. Foxconn also works with internships from local school's to come and work at the factories for 3 months, unpaid. It defended its intern program on Tuesday, saying they made up only 2.7 percent of its workforce in China. I think this is not a legitimate internship program to be sending kids to. People have died and committed suicide due to this company, and I do not think it is a place where children would want to work. Also during this time they are not receiving an education, but learning how to work in a sweatshop.
Although globalization has brought us many technological advances, I do not think it is worth a person’s health, life and dignity. I want you to know that a persons well-being is worth more than all the iPhones and touch screen electronics on the world. Now I want your help getting this message across send this paper out to the world and let’s fight for the rights of many. This is not inevitable, we have a choice, so let's come together and make a change.
"No one gets left behind"
Work Cited
http://mashable.com/2012/02/22/foxconn/ Samantha Murphy Kelly, 10 Staggering Facts Behind Apple's Foxconn Factory.
http://www.extremetech.com/computing/135976-before-you-buy-the-iphone-5-read-this-undercover-report-on-how-its-made Sebastain Anthony, Before you buy the iPhone 5, read this undercover report on how it’s made.
http://www.theverge.com/2012/2/6/2775539/foxconn-apple-factory-working-conditions-employee-interview Adi Robertson, A Foxconn worker speaks out about factory conditions.
http://www.policymic.com/articles/58267/why-are-chinese-workers-at-apple-suppliers-foxconn-and-pegatron-trying-to-commit-suicide Bryant Harris, Why Are Chinese Workers At Apple Suppliers Foxconn and Pegatron Trying to Commit Suicide?
http://www.forbes.com/sites/connieguglielmo/2013/12/12/apples-labor-practices-in-china-scrutinized-after-foxconn-pegatron-reviewed/ Connie Guglielmo, Apple's Supplier Labor Practices In China Scrutinized After Foxconn, Pegatron Reviews.