Foxconn Reportedly Ending Payouts To Families Of Suicide Victims

A pair of reports from Reuters today spell out some of the latest moves that electronics manufacturer Foxconn has made in response to a tragic wave of suicides at its largest Chinese factory. The spate of suicides has brought heat against both the manufacturer and its clients, which include Apple.

First, Reuters reports that according to Chinese news agency Xinhua, posters have appeared at Foxconn’s Shenzhen plant saying that it had “concrete evidence” that some of the suicides were motivated by the 100,000 yuan ($14,640) payout victims’ families were receiving. The posters reportedly go on to say “The act is wrong. Life is precious. To prevent such tragedies, Foxconn is to cease releasing compensation other than that provided by law”.

The news comes after Foxconn announced that it would be increasing wages of its workers at the Shenzhen plant by 66% based on performance, in addition to a 30% increase announced last week. In light of the pay upgrades, Foxconn today announced that it would be enacting price hikes for its customers.