Apple is under public scrutiny again, as employees of their assembly partner, Foxconn Technology Group, went on strike for the second time in two weeks.
Another day at the office at Foxconn’s Shenzhen plant
Photo: Tony Law
Since Apple launched the iPhone 5 earlier this month, Foxconn workers have been overwhelmed by the demand for the new device. Because of this unfair demand, which had them working “as many as 12 hours a day” (according to the Financial Post), “factory-line workers at one of [Foxconn’s] plants protested against increased pressure.”
This is not the first time the Cupertino based company has faced a situation like this, whose partner Foxconn is renowned for poor working conditions and high pressureon its employees. The company faced public outrage in 2010 when it was discovered that over the course of just 3 months, 9 employees took their own lives. Since then, Apple has brought in external inspections of the plants, as well as more desirable conditions and hours. We will see what happens in the following weeks of the protest. Apple and Foxconn have two options: step up and change their management strategies, or, more likely, take no action and wait for everybody to forget about it.