May 6, 2011 09:21 GMT  ·  By

Foxconn employees are being asked to sign agreements according to which they will not commit suicide or, in case they do hurt themselves, they will not tarnish the company’s image over it.

To some, it may sound alarming to hear that the chain of factories responsible with assembling Apple’s iDevices is demanding workers to put in writing that they will not kill themselves.

[admark=1]But those who take interest in such matters should well be aware of at least a dozen such suicides in the past year, over what the Centre for Research on Multinational Companies and Students & Scholars Against Corporate Misbehaviour (Sacom) calls "appalling" working conditions.

Foxconn has stressed on multiple occasions that workers are being treated well, and that suicides were not above the country’s usual rate.

The company employs hundreds of thousands of workers that handle the assembling process of various Apple products, including iPads, iPhones, and iPods.

In a British tabloid report, Sacom is quoted as saying that it uncovered inhumane working conditions that included excessive overtime and public humiliation.

However, the Sacom study looked at factory conditions across China, not just Foxconn.

Sacom, at one point, actually touts Foxconn as being the only employer to pledge to meet government limits on overtime.

As for the actual documents required by Foxconn to be signed, a rough translation of a relevant paragraph is being offered as evidence.

"In the event of non-accidental injuries (including suicide, self mutilation, etc.), I agree that the company has acted properly in accordance with relevant laws and regulations, and will not sue the company, bring excessive demands, take drastic actions that would damage the company's reputation or cause trouble that would hurt normal operations."

As TUAW points out, there is some debate as to whether the translated wording is 100% accurate.

Originally published by the Shangaiist, the leaked document apparently says "will not make demands outside of law and regulation" where author Elaine Chow translates as "will not sue the company," some seem to agree.

Foxconn has also been in the news recently for having three of its staffers arrested over leaked technical details pertaining to Apple’s iPad.