workers

Production has resumed at a Foxconn factory in northern China after a riot involving thousands of employees forced the factory to close.

A Foxconn representative told Reuters that production resumed Tuesday and that the one-day suspension of production would have no affect on supply to clients.

"We have 79,000 people working in Taiyuan campus, and we always have spare inventory," said Foxconn spokesman Louis Woo.

Foxconn, which builds many Apple products, was forced to shut down its Taiyuan factory early Monday after an hours-long riot involving roughly 2,000 employees broke out at 11 p.m. local … Read more

Apple stores selling the iPhone 5 today may see more than just customers outside their doors.

The Apple Workers Union wants store staffers to protest in front of Apple stores today to show solidarity for employees in France and at China's Foxconn plant. The union's "Day of Solidarity" is aimed at stores in the U.S., the U.K., Canada, Australia, France, Germany, China, and Japan -- the same countries offering the iPhone 5 starting today.

Calling on workers to "demand a better Apple," the union is backing Apple Store employees in France who … Read more

On the eve of the unveiling of the iPhone 5, the Shanghai Evening Post published an insider report of what it's like to work at Foxconn's Tai Yuan factory assembling the device. And while it could be worse, the conditions aren't pretty.

The story is told by a Shanghai Evening Post reporter who went undercover, got a job at the plant, and then kept a diary of his life while working there for 10 days. His article was translated and summarized in English by MIC Gadget.

After going through an intensive seven-day orientation -- during which he … Read more

A 23-year-old man jumped to his death from his apartment building in Chengdu, China Foxconn announced today.

According to the manufacturer, the man had been working at Foxconn for one month before his death. The apartment complex is outside of Foxconn's Chengdu plant. Reuters was first to report on the news.

Suicides have become an all-too-common occurrence among Foxconn workers over the last few years. According to reports, at least 16 people who work at Foxconn's factory in Shenzhen, China, have taken their lives since the beginning of 2010.

Earlier this year, 300 workers at a Foxconn factory that makes Xbox consoles … Read more

Workers at Foxconn's Chengdu factory started a riot earlier this week, according to reports.

According to Hong Kong-based newspaper, Ming Pao (Translate), several workers on Monday clashed with security staff at their off-site dormitory. Not long after, the issue escalated, and over 1,000 people rioted around the dormitory, according to reports. The rioters reportedly ignited firecrackers and threw a host of objects, damaging facilities.

Soon after the riot started, security staff alerted local police, which sent out officers to quell the unrest. The police presence resulted in dozens of arrests, according to reports out of the country.

Foxconn … Read more

Exhausting workloads, humiliating discipline, and cramped dormitories are still "the norm" for workers at Foxconn factories in China, according to a report released today that details alleged working conditions at the manufacturing giant.

Managers at the company, which manufactures hardware for companies such as Apple, Hewlett-Packard, Dell, and Sony, often discipline factory workers by forcing them to write and read aloud "confession letters" and to clean toilets, according to a report released by the workers rights group Students and Scholars Against Corporate Misbehavior (SACOM).

The report, which is based on interviews with 170 workers and supervisors … Read more

Panasonic's troubles have been well-documented over the last several quarters, but now the company could be planning to lay off employees at its headquarters in Osaka, Japan, according to a report.

Panasonic currently employs about 7,000 people at its headquarters, but if recent claims are true, that figure could soon drop to 3,500, according to the Wall Street Journal, citing sources. The Journal's sources say that the layoffs will include early retirement, and some employees might be moved to other divisions.

Last month, Panasonic outlined plans to reorganize its operation by cutting down its current five … Read more

The pundits can't decide whether the real unemployment problem is older people taking jobs from younger people or younger people taking jobs from older people.

Unemployed and underemployed folks in their 40s, 50s, or older just want a job that will keep the bill-collectors at bay, and maybe even provide a little fulfillment.

The recent slow decline in the U.S. unemployment rate may be misleading. Forbes.com's Peter Ferrara writes that the labor force participation rate has dropped from 65.7 percent in 2009 to 63.5 percent at the end of 2011. Ferrara claims the true … Read more

Apple plans to add more employees to its European headquarters in Cork, Ireland, the company announced today.

Over the next 18 months, Apple plans to add 500 employees to its Ireland-based operation to help "support our growing business across Europe." Apple currently has 2,800 employees in Cork. In order to make room for the new hires, Apple will build a three-story office building next to the existing facility, according to Ireland's RTE News.

Although Apple hasn't said what kind of jobs will be created in the move, Cork provides a host of back-office and supply-chain … Read more