Foxconn Technology, one of the biggest manufacturers of products for Apple , Dell, Hewlett-Packard and other electronics companies, has said that it would sharply raise worker salaries at its Chinese factories. Foxconn said that salaries for many workers would immediately jump by 16-25%, to about $400 a month, before overtime. The company also said it would reduce overtime hours at its factories. Labour rights groups say, over the years, many Foxconn plants have violated Chinese labour laws by pushing workers to endure excessive amounts of overtime. Criticism has grown over working conditions at several Apple suppliers in China , including Foxconn, which employs more than one million workers to assemble some of the world?s most popular devices.
Apple announced last Monday that the Fair Labor Association, a non-profit group, would provide independent audits of its supplier factories in China and elsewhere. Apple said the group?s findings would be made public. The association began inspecting Foxconn operations in China this week. Apple and Foxconn, which is based in Taiwan, have strongly denied allegations that the workers are treated poorly.
