Foxconn and Chinese teachers reportedly hand in hand using students as workforce

Sep 10, 2012 09:54 GMT  ·  By

A student from the Huaiyin Institute of Technology claims that he and 200 of his colleagues were driven to a Foxconn factory to work on the iPhone 5 assembly line, after the plant couldn’t find enough manpower to meet demand from the Cupertino, California tech giant.

The students are actually on a payroll, according to the Shanghai Daily. They are working 12-hour shifts, six days a week.

Students from at least five other colleges are backing up these claims, saying they’re being forced to work on the iPhone 5 assembly line.

Teachers at these schools confirmed that classes have, indeed, been suspended for a month, pointing to a mandatory internship were a compulsory course for students is to “experience working conditions and promote individual ability.”

China National Radio also backed these reports.

Interns represent around 2.7% of Foxconn’s Chinese workforce. The electronics manufacturer has issued a statement refuting claims that students were being forced into the internship.

“Students are free to leave the internship program at any time,” the company said.

However, some students who didn’t want to work in the iPhone plant are said to fear their schools will take revenge by not allowing them to graduate.

A Foxconn official, who refused to be named, said it was a common practice to serve the enterprises by sending students to renowned companies and factories. The activities expand their horizons, he said.

“It's hard for students to find jobs which are precisely related to their majors. Therefore, they are encouraged to go to factories to learn more about society,” he said.

Wu Dong, a lawyer cited by the Shanghai Daily, said the practice violated higher education laws and labor laws.

Dong believes there’s enough basis here to sue the schools, Foxconn, as well as education and labor rights authorities.