The world’s largest manufacturer of electronic goods has been making headlines for all the wrong reasons this year. First, a series of bizarre employee suicides and complaints about working conditions and low pay emerged. <\/p>\n
Now, 250 factory workers in Chennai, India, have been poisoned in what was thought to be a routine pesticide spraying in the factory.<\/p>\n
Affected workers were admitted to hospital after experiencing “sensations of giddiness and nausea”. <\/p>\n
In response to global criticism of its employment practices, Foxconn has increased its workers’ pay by 70%. The average factory worker now earns the equivalent of R2271 per month.<\/p>\n
Foxconn makes parts for the PS3, Xbox 360, Wii and iPhone. The pay increase may well lead to an end of the line price increase on these products. <\/p>\n