October 8, 2014
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
New York – Based on information from multiple sources, China Labor Watch (CLW) is reporting that at least 1,000 workers in the D Zone of Foxconn's Chongqing-based factory went on strike Wednesday to demand a wage raise and improved benefits. Beginning in the Yongbaoshui District, workers demonstrated with holding banners, including one that read, “We aren't robots. We need to eat and feed our family.”
Workers' low wages are related to reduced production orders from HP at the Foxconn plant. Rather than firing workers and paying them the legally obligated severance pay, Foxconn management compel workers into quitting, and forfeiting severance pay, by significantly reducing workers' overtime hours. A large portion of Foxconn workers' wages are composed of overtime pay, and without lots of overtime, take-home pay for workers rarely meets a living wage standard.
There are unconfirmed reports that workers will continue striking on Thursday, October 9.
Today's strike is the second strike this year at Foxconn Chongqing related to a reduction in HP orders. In June, about 800 workers at the plant went on a work stoppage to demand proper severance pay.
CLW may provide updates as more information is confirmed.
About China Labor Watch:
Founded in 2000, China Labor Watch is an independent not-for-profit organization. For more than a decade, CLW has collaborated with labor organizations and the media to conduct in-depth assessments of factories in China that produce toys, bikes, shoes, furniture, clothing, and electronics for some of the world’s largest brand companies. CLW’s New York office creates reports from these investigations, educates the international community on supply chain labor issues, and pressures corporations to improve conditions for workers.
Contact
(For English)
Kevin Slaten
Program Coordinator, China Labor Watch
E-mail: clw@chinalaborwatch.org
Phone: +001 212-244-4049
147 W 35 St Ste 406
New York, NY 10001
(For Chinese)
Li Qiang
Executive Director, China Labor Watch
E-mail: clw@chinalaborwatch.org
Phone: +001 212-244-4049