Students being pulled out of Chinese classrooms to build iPhone 5?

Posted by Jason Diaz Categories: Apple, Corporate News, Rumors

We at Gear Live have been hearing early morning reports from Shanghai Daily that hardware manufacturer, Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., AKA Foxconn, has been allegedly pulling Chinese students from classrooms in preparation to build Apple's iPhone 5. The social network, Sina Weibo, has been filling up with claims that at least 200 students from the Huaiyen Institute of Technology were being escorted to Foxconn factories under the guise of being enrolled in a "school to work program" or "Internship." The students will allegedly be paid $224 per month to work 12 hour shifts, six days a week. Now, possibly as a result of public scrutiny,  Shanghai Daily is reporting that students are being brought back to classrooms and instead are  being offered to volunteer for the so-called school to work program.

Foxconn is the manufacturer of choice for many technology companies like Microsoft, Amazon, Samsung, and Apple. The Asian manufacturing company has been plagued with rumors of underage workers, low salaries and less than satisfactory working conditions. There has been several work related accidents in recent months and even deaths by suicide. As a result, Foxconn has been in conflict with Human Rights Advocacy groups for some time now. To date, Apple is the only company, of at least 50 companies, that contracts with Foxconn who conducts independent reporting of working conditions in the factories.

Read More | Shanghai Daily