| Another employee of Foxconn Technology Group jumped to death Wednesday night just hours after the company's boss, Terry Gou, apologized for series of suicides and promised better welfare.
The latest casualty fell to his death from a dormitory building in a Shenzhen plant at around 11:20 pm Wednesday, the Xinhua News Agency reported. The death has been confirmed by Foxconn.
An initial police investigation said the employee committed suicide.
The deceased man, surnamed He, was 23 years old, single and from northwest China's Gansu Province. He began work at the plant on June 18 last year, said Shenzhen police.
It was the 10th such death and 12th such fall at the plant in Shenzhen this year. Two Foxconn employees had survived their suicide attempts but sustained severe injuries.
Traumatized by the series of tragedies, Foxconn Technology Group chairman Terry Gou flew to Shenzhen and led a rare damage-control media tour to the factory complex in Shenzhen.
"I'm very concerned about this. I can't sleep every night," said Terry Gou.
"From a scientific point of view, I'm not confident we can stop every case. But, as a responsible employer, we have to take up the responsibility of preventing as many as we can."
He told about 300 Chinese and foreign journalists that nets were put on buildings to stop people from jumping.
Foxconn has been installing safety nets, covering 1.5 million square meters, around almost all the dormitories and factory buildings.
"Although this seems like a 'dumb' measure, at least it could save life should anyone else fall," said Gou.
Gou said Foxconn would also adjust salary for employees in two weeks, and fund the establishment of a hospital to provide professional therapies for employees.
Seventy psychiatrists have been invited to give counseling to the employees. "We are also training our employees to be volunteer counselors. More than 100 employees have taken the training and we hope the number can grow to 1,000 in a month," he said.
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, 420,000 are based in Shenzhen. They work shifts and live inside the massive factory complex. |
