Foxconn confirms another worker death

• Source: Global Times
• [02:00 June 03 2010]
• Comments

Taiwanese technology giant Foxconn confirmed the death of another employee Wednesday but denied he died of exhaustion following a spate of suicides at its mainland plants, according to AFP.

Yan Li, 27, died on Friday after working the night shift for more than a month at a Foxconn plant in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, China Labor Watch said, citing Yan's sister, and adding that he was killed by exhaustion.

His wife surnamed Gao said she performed emergency rescue on her husband after he collapsed in his home at 2:40 am. But she failed to wake her husband up, and she called the ambulance. Yan was certified dead by medical workers at the home, Hong Kong-based Ming Pao Daily reported.

The paper reported, citing Yan's colleagues, that Yan worked for 34 hours from about 8 am on May 24 to about 6 pm on May 25. Yan also worked from about 8 am to 9 pm on May 26.

"My husband worked overtime every night. He also worked overnight, and he did not take rest during the day. He is too exhausted," Gao was quoted as saying by Hong Kong-based Sing Tao Daily.

Yan started working for Foxconn in April 2007.

"We have reviewed this matter and while we cannot speculate the specific cause of death, we have found nothing to support any allegation that it was work-related," a spokesman for Foxconn said in a statement, according to AFP.

"We have met with Yan and expressed our condolences and as a compassionate gesture have provided a level of support to assist her at this very difficult time."

Foxconn, which makes a range of top-selling products including Apple iPhones, Dell computers and Nokia mobile phones, said earlier Wednesday it was raising the pay of its assembly line workers by 30 percent.

Ten workers at the plant have fallen to their deaths in suicides this year. An 11th worker died at another factory in North China.