Foxconn announces second pay rise in China

The world's largest contract electronics maker Foxconn, owned by Taiwan's Hon Hai has, once again raised wages of its employees in China to stifle criticism on its working conditions that have possibly led to a string of suicides by its workers.

Taipei County, Taiwan-based Hon Hai, operating in China as Foxconn, said today that it will increase wages of its employees at its Shenzhen plant by 66 per cent from 1 October 2010, if employees meet certain conditions.

This new announcement comes a week after Foxconn announced that it will raise salaries of its workers in China by about 20 per cent in a bid to stop the series of suicides by its employees in China, most of which have occurred at its Shenzhen plant. (See: Foxconn hopes higher wages will prevent worker suicides) 

Foxconn, which mass produces products for Nintendo, Apple, Nokia, Sony, Hewlett Packard and Dell, said that the monthly salaries of for all first-line employees, line leaders and supervisors at its production facility in Shenzhen will be raised from 1,200 yuan ($176) to 2,000 yuan ($293) a month as early as 1 October 2010.

Workers will be eligible for the rise if they successfully pass an evaluation test lasting three months.

Foxconn said that wage increase for its workers at its other plants in China, will be announced from 1 July 2010.