INVESTIGATES
were resting on the assembly line and sleeping. Others had pushed together chairs and were sleeping on those. Some even stacked foam boards and slept on top of them. They all looked exhausted.”
The investigator’s duties involved cleaning 1,400 Echo Dot speakers in a day with a toothbrush dipped in rubbing alcohol to remove dust.
LEAKING
The woman added: “Workers sat on both side of the assembly line. One other worker and I were expected to wipe clean 2,800 speakers in a day.”
In its report, the CLW said: “Workers must report to the line technician before using the bathroom during work hours.
“A few senior workers were told off by the line leader for working too slowly. Some reported crying when reprimanded.”
Life outside of the factory is also grim for many workers sleeping six to a room in houses provided by Foxconn nearby. Workers told of leaking roofs and unlit bathrooms.
The CLW claims thousands of staff are being hired as agency temps. They do not qualify for sick or holiday pay and can be laid off during slack periods.
The investigator found 60-hour weeks were the norm in peak periods. Some staff did 80 hours overtime a month – way above the 36 hours legal maximum.
A recent law change limits the number of agency staff to just 10 per cent of a company’s workforce. But the investigation found more than 40 per cent were from agencies.
In November a Sunday Mirror investigation revealed workers at Amazon’s Tilbury warehouse in Essex were found asleep on their feet while working 55-hour weeks – and facing timed toilet breaks.
And Foxconn – which employs 1.3million worldwide – has been criticised over treatment of staff making iPhones and other devices for Apple.
The CLW investigation also claims Foxconn staff in Hengyang earn less than half of the average wage. Many get £233 a month at £1.69 an hour. In stark contrast, Foxconn CEO Terry Gou has a reported £5.3billion fortune, while Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos is worth a mindboggling £83billion.
Li Qiang, CLW’s executive director, has written to Mr Bezos, saying: “Foxconn uses a large number of dispatch workers and violates workers’ interests. This is unethical and illegal.
“I hope that you can compel suppliers to improve their situations and to manufacture Amazon products under ethical conditions.”
Foxconn said in a statement it provides a positive working environment, “works hard to comply with all relevant laws and regulations and if infractions are identified, we work to immediately rectify them”.
Exhausted staff sleep on job, earn half average wage and must ask to go to toilet INVESTIGATOR WHO WORKED UNDERCOVER AT TECH PLANT