Ondrej Holzman Foxconn has admitted that it illegally employed workers between the ages of 14 and 16 in its Chinese factories. However, the Taiwanese company said in a statement that it had taken immediate steps to resolve the matter.
The statement was brought by the server Cnet.com, to which Foxconn admitted that an internal investigation revealed that youths between the ages of 14 and 16 were employed at the Yentai factory in Shandong province. These workers were hired illegally, as Chinese law allows workers from the age of 16 to work.
Foxconn said it took full responsibility for the violation and apologized to every student. At the same time, the Taiwanese electronics giant has assured that it will terminate the contract with whoever was responsible for hiring these students.
“This is not only a violation of Chinese labor law, but also a violation of Foxconn's regulations. Also, immediate steps have already been taken to return the students to their educational institutions,” Foxconn said in a statement. "We are conducting a full investigation and working with the relevant educational institutions to find out how this happened and what steps our company needs to take to ensure it never happens again."
Foxconn's statement came in response to a press release (in English <a href="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/1932/8043/files/200721_ODSTOUPENI_BEZ_UDANI_DUVODU__EN.pdf?v=1595428404" data-gt-href-en="https://en.notsofunnyany.com/">here</a>) from the New York-based China Labor Watch, which defends workers' rights in China. It was China Labor Watch that published about the fact that minors are illegally employed at Foxconn.
"These underage students were mostly sent to Foxconn by their schools, with Foxconn not checking their IDs," writes China Labor Watch. "The schools involved in this matter should take primary responsibility, but Foxconn is also to blame for not verifying the ages of its workers."
Once again, it appears that Foxconn is under strict scrutiny. This Taiwanese corporation is most "famous" for the production of iPhones and iPods for Apple, but of course it also produces millions of other products that do not have a bitten apple on them. However, precisely in connection with Apple, Foxconn has already been investigated several times, and all rights defenders and representatives of Chinese workers are waiting for any hesitation that would allow them to lean on Foxconn.
