Gov't calls on Foxconn employees to cherish lives
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An official of local government on Wednesday called on young employees in Foxconn to cherish lives and stay strong, after 11 suicidal falls of the company's workers were reported this year.
The call was only found to be followed by another death of a Foxconn employee Wednesday night. The employee died after falling from a building at the company's plant, the 12th such incidence in 2010 that resulted in 10 deaths, the company said.
The causes of the suicide cases are complicated, involving individual, company and social factors, Li Ping, secretary general of Shenzhen government, said at a press conference Wednesday.
The suicidal employees, mostly born in the 1980s or 1990s, had weak self-adjustment capability under emotional, living, or working pressure, and the situation became worse when millions of young workers gathered in Foxconn and various problems were overlapped, Li said.
They were away from their hometown, with little love and care from the society, which also attributed to these falls, according to Li.
The government will form a special team to strengthen the leadership of relevant work, and the police and other authorities will join the company to avoid any further tragedy, Li said.
Cultural, sports, medical and educational conditions in surrounding area will also be improved to ensure a sound living environment.
The government will also assist the company to complete its psychological counseling system, he added.
Terry Gou, chairman of Foxconn Technology Group, apologized Wednesday and said Foxconn would adjust salary for employees in two weeks, and also would fund the establishment of a hospital to provide professional therapies for employees.
The company opened its plant to nearly 300 Chinese and foreign reporters Wednesday, when three family members of the first victim, 19-year-old Ma Xiangqian who fell to death on Jan. 23, cried outside the plant's gate.
Foxconn is part of Taiwan's Hon Hai Precision Industry Co. and makes computers, game consoles and mobile phones for companies including Hewlett-Packard Co., Sony Corp. and Nokia Corp.
Of Foxconn's 800,000 employees in China, 430,000 are based in Shenzhen. They work shifts and live inside the massive factory complex.
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