Foxconn to Compensate Employee's Family for Life

It's apparent that Foxconn will compensate the family of a worker who committed suicide after an iPhone prototype he was responsible for went missing.  Sun Danyong, 25, jumped from his high-rise apartment last week after officials of Foxconn, which makes Apple's iPhones and iPods, questioned him about the whereabouts of the missing prototype.  He accused the Foxconn officials of beating him, which they eventually denied.

However, Hon Hai Precision, Foxconn's parent company, suspended a security official over the incident, which obviously suggest something something smells rather foul. Gu Qinming, the suspended security chief, admitted that he grabbed Sun once by the shoulder, but denied beating him.


A Foxconn official in Taipei, speaking on condition of anonymity, because he was not authorized to speak on the matter, said Tuesday that the company would pay Sun's parents a lump sum of 360,000 yuan ($52,600), plus 30,000 yuan ($4,385) every year as long as either of them lives.

The real issue here is the level of secrecy and pressure put on employees in any country that works with Apple or in support of Apple products. Apple commented earlier on the matter, with a spokesperson saying:

“We are saddened by the tragic loss of this employee. We require that our suppliers treat all workers with dignity and respect.”

Apple obviously feels compelled to offer a response to these tragic events and of course it's appropriate that they should. Though clearly it's a long reach to pass judgment on Apple for this sad situation. Foxconn is a very large ODM for many world class companies. It just so happens this Foxconn employee became a statistic with an unreleased iPhone in his hand.