Guest Comments by SACOM

The following is a petition letter from the Hong Kong-based Students and Scholars Against Corporate Misbehavior (SACOM).
 
HONG KONG – In recent weeks, 12 workers have attempted suicide at the production facilities of Foxconn Technology Group, a Taiwan-owned electronics enterprise based in Shenzhen on the Chinese mainland.

World citizens and non-governmental organizations implore Foxconn workers to cherish their lives, despite the urgent need to protest against dire working conditions. Suicide should not be a means to protest against harsh factory management.

We condemn Foxconn for failing even to arrange public vigils for the deceased workers and bereaved families and colleagues. To rub salt in the wounds, Foxconn CEO Terry Guo cynically said the victims committed suicide due to the company’s willingness to pay sumptuous amounts of humanitarian aid to their families. This heartless stab at blaming the victims is a despicable attempt to deny responsibility. It insults the dead.

Knowing that Foxconn produces iPhones, and that Apple launches its 4th-generation iPhones on June 8, we’ve decided to name that day as a Global Day of Remembrance for Victims of Foxconn. We call on everyone to join in this commemoration.
 
We urge Foxconn to stop production for one month to probe reasons for the suicides and reform its management methodology. Workers need this idle period to rest physically and psychologically. Regular wages and benefits should continue.

The trade union at Foxconn needs reforms by democratic election consistent with the Trade Union Law of China to defend workers’ rights by collective bargaining. Scandalously, the incumbent trade-union president is Terry Guo’s secretary.

To heighten pressure, we urge customers to boycott Foxconn’s products, including Apple’s iPhones, for a month. Foxconn supplies famous brands like Apple, Nokia, HP and Dell.

International brands constantly demand lower prices and shorter delivery times. Playing along, Foxconn lowers its costs and transfers the pressures of lower profit margins to frontline workers, who inevitably suffer.

Tellingly, Foxconn has increased its workforce while its production costs actually declined. Analyzing this vicious cycle of exploitation, we see that while Foxconn holds the primary responsibility for exploiting workers, the global brands share blame in this “race to the bottom”. We demand that all brands reassess their inhuman purchasing models.
 
Tragedies at Foxconn show that the Electronics Industry Citizenship Coalition (EICC), comprising more than 40 electronic brands, fails to protect the rights and well-being of workers. It needs immediate and complete reform. The EICC should increase its transparency and allow workers to participate. That’s the most effective way to stop more electronics-sector suicides.

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