Foxconn

A China Labor Watch investigation of Foxconn's Zhengzhou factory during iPhone 17 production found extensive violations: dispatch workers making up over 50% of staff (5x the legal limit), workers clocking 60-75 hours per week (exceeding both Chinese law and Apple's 60-hour cap), wage withholding where workers who resigned before the 25th lost 45-50 days of pay, forced night shifts for student workers, discriminatory hiring, unsafe chemical exposure, and retaliation against complaints. Apple employees were documented as present in the factory during the investigation period.

China Labour Bulletin investigation in January 2025 found Foxconn's Zhengzhou iPhone factory employed dispatch workers (temporary contractors) for approximately 50% of the workforce producing iPhone 17, violating China's 10% legal limit. Dispatch workers receive lower wages, no benefits (housing, insurance, bonuses), and can be dismissed without cause. This practice allows Foxconn to avoid permanent employment obligations and suppress organizing.

In August 2023, China Labor Watch released investigation findings on Foxconn's Chengdu facility manufacturing Amazon Echo and Kindle devices. Workers reported mandatory overtime exceeding legal limits (80+ hours/month vs 36-hour legal cap), wages withheld for months, inadequate safety equipment, and dismissal threats for refusing overtime. Amazon audits had repeatedly missed these violations.

Leaked internal Foxconn recruitment documents from 2023 contained explicit instructions to recruiters to reject applicants from Uyghur, Tibetan, Yi, and Hui ethnic backgrounds. The documents cited 'political risks' and 'management difficulties' as rationale. This systematic discrimination violates China's own labor laws and international human rights standards, and mirrors broader CCP policies targeting ethnic minorities.

Between January and November 2010, 18 Foxconn workers attempted suicide at the company's Shenzhen factory complex, with 14 deaths. Workers cited extreme work pressure, mandatory overtime, verbal abuse by supervisors, and social isolation in cramped dormitories. Foxconn's response included installing physical nets to catch jumpers and requiring workers to sign 'no suicide' pledges. The crisis drew international attention to electronics supply chain labor conditions.