Apple Contractor Foxconn Confirms 9th Suicide This Year

May 21 2010, 9:43am CDT | by Jordan Cressman

Can you imagine working somewhere that is so stressful that nine of your coworkers jump to their death while on the job? That's the very issue that Foxconn, a very powerful overseas manufacturer, is dealing with.
21-year-old Nan Gang, a logistics worker at a Foxconn plant, jumped from the top of a four-story building today, landing on his head and dying instantly.

Foxconn, which is most famous for making iPhones and iPods, quickly confirmed the death, and also added that another man killed himself at a different facility on January 8. The company didn't mention that suicide until the worker's family started talking to news media.

In total, 9 people employed at the Chinese company have committed suicide this year. 2 others have jumped in an attempt to kill themselves but survived.

It's not exactly a small office - at one plant alone there can be hundreds of thousands of employees. However, with nearly two suicides every month, it doesn't matter how big the company is; that's gonna raise some eyebrows.

Working conditions at Foxconn have come under scrutiny ever since last year, when an employee jumped to his death after being suspected of stealing an iPhone prototype. Unlike Gray Powell, he didn't exactly get offers for free business-class flights after the incident.

Since that high-profile case, morale at the company has seemed to take a turn for the worse, and an environment that actually spurs thoughts of suicide is apparently blooming. Foxconn has brought in therapists and even an exorcist to get rid of the bad energy around. But apparently it's not that easy making products for the most secretive, high-profile tech company in the world.

Via DigitalEastAsia.com

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