Friday, January 20th 2012
Foxconn Boss Likens Workers to Animals
A pinch of Foxconn is in most pieces of computer hardware and tech-gadgets sold today, but it's known more to be one of Apple's main contract-manufacturers of products such as the iPhone. Even as Apple has to fight flames on behalf of its suppliers about the bad PR the state of welfare of their workers are given, Hon Hai Precision industry's (Foxconn's) chairman kicked off a storm with one of his latest comments, where he likened his workers to animals. "Hon Hai has a workforce of over one million worldwide and as human beings are also animals, to manage one million animals gives me a headache," said Hon Hai chairman Terry Gou.
You might excuse Mr. Gou when that statement is read without context, since we're all technically animals, so let's add the context in which he made that remark, which is what kicked off the storm. Mr. Gou was attending an year-end party (Chinese lunar year-end), which was also attended by Chin Shih-chien, director of Taipei Zoo. He followed up that comment saying that he should learn from Shih-chien about "how animals should be managed." WantChinaTimes comments that Terry Gou's words were not carefully chosen.
"As Chin lectured on the stage, sharing his experience with the audience on how to manage different animals according to their individual temperaments, Gou listened carefully and asked Chin to put himself in his place as the chairman of Hon Hai, to the amusement of the 12 general managers of the group present," the report added. Foxconn has been a problem-supplier for the likes of Apple, not because of the quality of its supply, but bad PR that constant reports of Foxconn subjecting its workers to bad conditions, brings.
Source:
WantChinaTimes
You might excuse Mr. Gou when that statement is read without context, since we're all technically animals, so let's add the context in which he made that remark, which is what kicked off the storm. Mr. Gou was attending an year-end party (Chinese lunar year-end), which was also attended by Chin Shih-chien, director of Taipei Zoo. He followed up that comment saying that he should learn from Shih-chien about "how animals should be managed." WantChinaTimes comments that Terry Gou's words were not carefully chosen.
"As Chin lectured on the stage, sharing his experience with the audience on how to manage different animals according to their individual temperaments, Gou listened carefully and asked Chin to put himself in his place as the chairman of Hon Hai, to the amusement of the 12 general managers of the group present," the report added. Foxconn has been a problem-supplier for the likes of Apple, not because of the quality of its supply, but bad PR that constant reports of Foxconn subjecting its workers to bad conditions, brings.
31 Comments on Foxconn Boss Likens Workers to Animals
if he said like that, it means he is one of them, so thats why Foxconn is in trouble, coz the man who manage is not human :mad:
and im sure many his workers would be glad to broke his neck at this time
Honestly this seems to be a "taken out of context" issue.
But from a guy who runs a company that mistreats employees and even had some commit suicide, it really is pretty stupid and revealing.
Ex: Dell/Foxconn. A few years back I killed a few Optiplexes by just running them at full load. Didn't even get 24hrs before they died. Kept killing them and getting them replaced until they'll sent me some that could stand a little beating. Have never been able to kill a PowerEdge though (much better quality).
Jokes apart, sometimes truth comes out accidentally.
What the Foxconn upper echelons say is nothing compared to what they allow to occur in their factories. Slave labor is common in China. Earning a wage that only pays enough to barely buy enough food and shelter to survive is how slave labor works in any poorly planned capitalism. I am hoping China will eventually learn that quality of life is more important than numbers on a balance sheet.
Business is business. If the FC workers don't like the wages or the hours, quit. I'd like to see the CEO of FC lose a night's sleep after the workers actually carry out their mass suicide.