150 workers threaten to jump off roof

SHANGHAI — About 150 Chinese workers at Foxconn, the world’s largest electronics manufacturer, threatened to commit suicide by leaping from their factory roof in protest at their working conditions.

The workers were eventually coaxed down after two days on top of their three-floor plant in Wuhan, which manufactures gadgets for Apple, Sony and Nintendo.

Fourteen Foxconn workers were killed in 2010 when they threw themselves from the tops of company buildings. As a result, safety nets were installed in some of its factories and counsellors were hired to help its workers.

The latest protest began Jan. 2 after managers decided to move about 600 workers to a new production line.

“We were put to work without any training, and paid piecemeal,” said one of the protesting workers, who asked not to be named. “The assembly line ran very fast and after just one morning we all had blisters and the skin on our hand was black. The factory was also really choked with dust and no one could bear it,” he said.

A company spokesman said the protest was resolved peacefully.