They've denied it. Therefore its not true. We all knew Apple wouldn't do business like this.

Although, I guess we could parse the reply above....

However, Ding pointed out that Foxconn has a workforce of only about 160,000 employees worldwide

And does that count temp/contract workers? You know, the kind a lot of company has (remember MS getting in hot water over their overuse of contract employees?)

[and] maintained that Foxconn abides by the employment law in China."

Wow! Does that mean that they give them a drink of water in between beating sessions for not staying on quota?

The company also said it has continued to make improvements to workers' living conditions, providing safe and well-equipped dormitories

each dorm has at least one cot

complete with free laundry service a leaking pipe in the basement, but they provide rocks!

sports facilities Workers get to run from guards who are trying to play "pin the tail of the female worker".

libraries

Books by Mao

and other facilities.

Torture chamber, sweat shop (lose those unsightly pounds!), brothels, etc.

BTW, apparently they hope people don't try to figure out whether chinese law permits 15 hour workdays, seven days a week.

But, $50 for laundry services, who can beat that?

Amazing how much c*** was written for sensationalizm in that british story. Sounds like Apple's investigation will find nothing as everything written in that story was false. Not a surprise as Apple is one of the best companies to work for even if your an outsourced company.

Seriously, Apple must have really pissed that testudo kid off, considering he's on a veritable vendetta of talking Apple down every chance he gets -- now if only he had some valid arguments....

This isn't a piece of non-news because they are denying it (what would you have them do "Yes, we beat our workers and pay them a slave wage"), but rather because this is the way the entire country of China does business, every day. Monthly wages for non-skiller or skilled labor ranges from $50 to $150, and chances are that the 'horrible living conditions' alleged, are better than that worker's conditions in their home.

This isn't to say that worker abuses are not taking pace - they are, as the people most abusing Chinese laborers are ... Chinese.

Disregarding testudo's ignoramus anlaysis of the foxconn press release, there is plenty to pick apart in that statement, realistically.

> However, Ding pointed out that Foxconn > has a workforce of only about 160,000 > employees worldwide

The factory in Longhua need only be a contract factory, not owned by Foxconn, but shared or subcontracted out to provide resources - though I question the original story, as 200,000 workers is a huge number, even by Chinese standards, for a single factory. There are more iaccuracies in the original british story, than there are in the dementi by foxconn.

As for testudo - he continues to be accurately idiotic.

Hey, zinkdifferent,

Didn't you know that testiculo is singing falsetto because of a hot laptop on his...namesakes! Some grudges aren't easily overcome!

have you been to a chinese factory? have you ever spoken with someone who has? do you have any f****** clue of how the bureacratic hierarchy is structed in corporate china? any experience with chinese labor conditions? do you speak the language at all? have you ever even been to the damn country?

Shut the f*** up, go visit, and try to learn something before you open your damned mouth.

Yes, sure...

http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/06_25/b3989077.htm

I joined this forum because I felt moved to speak and tell you my own personal experience in Chinese factories.

I have been to Asia over 25 times on business and visited many Chinese factories in electronics manufacturing.

I want to share with you a visit to one factory that did plastic injection molding for amoung other things, for laptop computers power supplies.

I saw a man working on a milling machine. I was standing about ten feet away. Metal shards were flying away in about an eight to ten foot radius. As I walked around the machine they became embedded in my shoes. The only thing protecting the young man operating the machine was a piece of card board he held in front of his face.

This factory was a sub-contractor of Foxconn.