Foxconn Using Forced and Unpaid Student "Interns" To Build and Ship the PS4

[EChondo]

http://www.gamesinasia.com/report-foxconn-using-forced-student-labor-to-build-sonys-ps4/

 

 

If reports in the Chinese press are to be believed, Sony’s next-gen games console may be being assembled using some very outdated labor practices. According to Hong Kong’s Oriental Daily, thousands of students from an IT engineering program at the Xi’an Institute of Technology are being forced to work at Foxconn’s Yantai plant assembling the Sony Playstation 4. Students have been told if they refuse to participate, they lose six course credits, which effectively means they will not be able to graduate.

Officially, the program is considered an “internship” and it is publicly recognized and promoted by the school. But students have said that once they got to Foxconn, they were assigned to jobs that had no relation whatsoever to their fields of study, including grunt work like distribution and shipping. One student, for example, majored in finance and accounting but has been assigned to a job that entails glueing together parts of Sony’s Playstation 4. Another was assigned to a job that entails peeling of the PS4′s protective plastic and putting stickers on it. Still another, a computer science major, puts the PS4′s various cords and the instruction manual into the console’s box. Moreover, students say that their working hours are exactly the same as regular workers. The only difference is that unlike the workers, the students aren’t being paid.

Foxconn told the Oriental Daily that its workers are all voluntary and that it has no interest in preventing them from leaving work if they choose to. The Xi’an Institute of Technology declined to comment on whether the university had received an agent’s fee for providing what is essentially free labor to the Foxconn plant and did not directly answer questions about whether or not the internship program was forced, but stressed that it was legal and that it was “mainly about making students learn about society and experience life.”

I believe I can speak for others when I say that this is absolutely sick.

[helping]

I'm pretty sure Foxconn has had a really scumbag history

not surprising, but extortion like that makes it sound like something straight out of the 1960's

[Langdon]

Serious human rights violation. I hate dirty companies like this and I'm so glad I don't live in China anymore or else I'd be subject to the same treatment.

[TheSLSAMG]

Foxconn, practicing and getting away with scumbaggery since 1974.

[TheSLSAMG]

Serious human rights violation. I hate dirty companies like this and I'm so glad I don't live in China anymore or else I'd be subject to the same treatment.

What was it like there? And you are 2 posts away from 1000!

[mgsstar]

This makes people not buy them to avoid students continuously being hired.

[ultimatemythbuster]

I wasn't going to get a PS4 anyway and I hope that no one reading this is going to either.

[Langdon]

What was it like there? And you are 2 posts away from 1000!

I was surrounded by a lot of poverty as my family did not have as much money as some of the rich Chinese people buying out homes in Vancouver(Vancouverites will feel my pain).

There were a lot of pickpockets, store owners trying to push up prices in stores(especially if you're foreign), arguments, etc. This is all a part of Chinese culture to me now, where I lived anyway. I'm glad I'm out of that hell hole but I feel bad for my family and my cousin who is going into university this year.

[TheSLSAMG]

I was surrounded by a lot of poverty as my family did not have as much money as some of the rich Chinese people buying out homes in Vancouver(Vancouverites will feel my pain).

There were a lot of pickpockets, store owners trying to push up prices in stores(especially if you're foreign), arguments, etc. This is all a part of Chinese culture to me now, where I lived anyway. I'm glad I'm out of that hell hole but I feel bad for my family and my cousin who is going into university this year.

Wow, so sad. That truly sucks

[TopWargamer]

 

Scumbag Foxconn

[Titanicium]

I was surrounded by a lot of poverty as my family did not have as much money as some of the rich Chinese people buying out homes in Vancouver(Vancouverites will feel my pain).

There were a lot of pickpockets, store owners trying to push up prices in stores(especially if you're foreign), arguments, etc. This is all a part of Chinese culture to me now, where I lived anyway. I'm glad I'm out of that hell hole but I feel bad for my family and my cousin who is going into university this year.

 

That got to suck badly

 

News like this is why I value German work and like to buy German stuff as much as I can I know it will be more expensive but I also know that it will be top of the line and that it will be built by paid, nurtured professionals which haven´t been forced to make the products.

 

Foxconn can go suck rabbit balls.

[DirkaFat]

Everyone going to get an xbox or what?

[DefinitelyNotAPedophile]

This is china we are talking about they do anything

[AlexGoesHigh]

wow this worst that the protest a while ago where the employees were treated pretty much like monkeys whit horrible labor benefits, that bad but working an internship the same way as a job on a area that doesn't have a tiny bit relation whit what are they studding that just pathetic   

[Langdon]

That got to suck badly

 

News like this is why I value German work and like to buy German stuff as much as I can I know it will be more expensive but I also know that it will be top of the line and that it will be built by paid, nurtured professionals which haven´t been forced to make the products.

 

Foxconn can go suck rabbit balls.

Indeed. I'd gladly buy products from a company that treats their employees right, even if it's a bit more expensive. A happy employee is more likely to take more care with his work as well.

[Titanicium]

Indeed. I'd gladly buy products from a company that treats their employees right, even if it's a bit more expensive. A happy employee is more likely to take more care with his work as well.

 

Congratiolations with post number 1000!

 

A happy and well paid employee will indeed be a lot more considerate about their work and will take pride in it instead of going home with thoughts of revolt and coming back thinking "What the hell am I doing here?".

[Fetzie]

I wasn't going to get a PS4 anyway and I hope that no one reading this is going to either.

 

How about boycotting pretty much all electronics with "Made in China" stamped on the back? Foxconn basically makes all of them.

[EChondo]

Everyone going to get an xbox or what?

You do know Foxconn assembles many company products, right?

 

Here's a short list of the big guys that Foxconn assembles for;

• Nintendo
• Microsoft
• Sony
• Acer Inc.
• Amazon.com
• Apple Inc.
• Cisco
• Dell
• Google
• Hewlett-Packard
• Motorola Mobility
• Nokia
• Toshiba
• Vizio

[Titanicium]

How about boycotting pretty much all electronics with "Made in China" stamped on the back? Foxconn basically makes all of them.

 

What would be left then? "Made in India", "Made in Taiwan", "Made in Uzbekistan"?

 

I vote for replacing all the corporate leaders with German ones

[ericlee30]

Foconn is notorious for outdated labor practices. I don't know why the is a surprise for some?

 

Here is from a year ago,

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jArRmiRTkG0

 

here is from 2 years ago,

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V3YFGixp9Jw

 

2-3 years ago is when Foxconn just got caught for doing what they are doing, who really knows how long they have been doing this and it really gets under my skin, but hey what are we going to do, this is life in many countries.

[Titanicium]

Foconn is notorious for outdated labor practices. I don't know why the is a surprise for some?

 

Here is from a year ago,

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jArRmiRTkG0

 

here is from 2 years ago,

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V3YFGixp9Jw

 

2-3 years ago is when Foxconn just got caught for doing what they are doing, who really knows how long they have been doing this and it really gets under my skin, but hey what are we going to do, this is life in many countries.

 

Where are the terrorists when you need them to bomb something...

[Mooshi]

I'm pretty sure Foxconn has had a really scumbag history

not surprising, but extortion like that makes it sound like something straight out of the 1960's

 

Was gonna say, it's pretty well known that Foxconn is a company you should avoid to do business with at any given opportunity. Yes, they are a big OEM, but if you know first hand a product came out with Foxconn all over it and it's a product you don't really need, don't give them your business.

[Mooshi]

 

You do know Foxconn assembles many company products, right?

 

Here's a short list of the big guys that Foxconn assembles for;

• Nintendo
• Microsoft
• Sony
• Acer Inc.
• Amazon.com
• Apple Inc.
• Cisco
• Dell
• Google
• Hewlett-Packard
• Motorola Mobility
• Nokia
• Toshiba
• Vizio

 

 

 

Unfortunate, I wish Nintendo would keep their manufacturing stuff to Japan only.

 

Not really a fan of Microsoft. If Linux had native versions of software found on Windows and more support, i'd ditch Microsoft in a heartbeat.

 

Sony kinda bores me since their post PS2 days.

 

Acer is a company I don't care for.

 

Amazon.com is kinda vague unless you mean the Kindle..which I have no interest in, those things don't replace that book smell. Amazon also sells a lot of varied merchandise so..I don't see how Amazon is listed unless this was mostly for the Kindle.

 

Apple is a company with some of the most shoddy practices, will not do business regardless.

 

Don't care for Cisco.

 

Dell is a typical crappy OEM so not giving them my money is kinda an easy thing to do.

 

Google has grown too big for their own good, that's how I honestly feel.

 

HP, another typical so-so OEM that doesn't affect a system builder.

 

Motorola is still relevant...?

 

Nokia is still relevant...?

 

Toshiba is still relevant...?

 

Don't use Vizio so don't care.

[coder-guy22296]

Someone Define Internship and compare this to the definition plz

[Yoinkerman]

Sounds just like America I'm surprised they aren't getting medals

I'm pretty sure Foxconn has had a really scumbag history

not surprising, but extortion like that makes it sound like something straight out of the 1960's