Perhaps this rivals monks setting themselves on fire in protest?

As much as technology is inextricably a part of most people’s lives, the cost of having the fancy gizmos can be high for both the environment and for people.  There have now been 10 suicides by Foxconn factory workers this year due to financial pressure on their families and inhumane treatment.

Hon Hai to Raise Salaries of Foxconn Workers: “After a string of suicides in Foxconn’s China factories, home to some 400,000 workers who manufacture electronic devices for giants such as HP, Dell, and Apple, the management announced it plans to raise workers’ salaries by 20%.”

(Via Mashable.)

Is raising worker salaries alone really solving the root problem here?  Is it really fixing the situation?

SOCIAL JUSTICE IS YOUR BOTTOM LINE

With computers and tablet computers like iPad and the soon to be Google Tablet on the rise and a shortage of factories, parts and people to build them, companies like Apple, HP and Dell should be keenly aware of how vital this labour force is.  Efforts to keep prices low however lead to these kind of suicides and bad publicity (it’s called the “race to the bottom” for a reason — ever heard of it?  And if it’s the bottom of quality then sooner or later you’re supporters and customers are going to walk).

… shifts are long, the assembly line moves too fast and managers enforce military-style discipline on the work force.

(Via MSNBC)

Is this a serious issue of overall human responsibility?  Totally.  You should be demanding that these companies do more to treat their workers better — after all you wouldn’t want to be treated the same way if you were working in that job now would you?

Is this a serious issue of corporate social responsibility?  Totally.  Companies should be giving citizens the information about the true costs of devices they make and the labour that goes into them.  People respect companies that treat their workers fairly.

Can you afford to lose these workers (and their hearts) when you’re devices are in such demand?  Totally not.

Environmental and social responsibility ultimately impact your bottom line.

Funny, Dell has a document on treating workers fairly online.

NO SUICIDE VOW

The company recently left unconfirmed rumours that they asked workers not to commit suicide.

Foxconn has asked employees to sign a pledge that they would not commit suicide and accept medical help if necessary, Bloomberg reported, citing a Hong Kong-based newspaper that published a scan of the document supplied by a worker.

(Via MSNBC)

What do you think about that?  If you’re going to fix behaviour, fix the situation as Dan Heath would say.

This issue isn’t just unique to Taiwan — its seen in the construction booms of Dubai to the ship breaking industries of India.   Farmer suicides in India could be another similar issue.  What it boils down to are lack of support, lack of respect and neglect.

If you want to be able to survive into the future big companies and small, you’re all going to have to figure out how not to pull the rug from under your own feet.  If you force your workers into a corner sooner or later something’s going to give.  Then you better pray you’re good at rebuilding the house of cards.

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