How bad does a job have to be for an employer to require its workers to sign a “no suicide” pledge? Ask workers at this organization.
Foxconn, a chain of factories in China that manufactures products such as iPads and iPhones, reportedly now requires its new employees to sign a “no suicide” pledge.
This comes after at least 14 FoxConn employees committed suicide in a span of just 16 moths.
The information comes from an investigation of 500,000 workers by the Centre for Research of Multinational Companies and Students & Scholars Against Corporate Misbehavior (SACOM).
It is also believed that Foxconn’s pledge ensured a worker’s family members could only seek the legal minimum in damages should he or she commit suicide.
The SACOM investigation also revealed some of the harsh conditions Foxconn employees endured, including:
- Working way above the legal limit of overtime
- Working up to 13 days in a row
- A ban on employees talking, and
- Having to stand for entire 12-hour shifts.
