Facing labor shortage, Chinese students being forced to “intern” at Foxconn assembly lines ahead of iPhone 5 launch

University students of China’s Jiangsu Province are being driven to Foxconn’s facility to work in its assembly lines in the garb of internships, the Shanghai Daily reports.
The students ranging from streams as varied as law, English and management are being forced to intern at the iPhone maker’s assembly lines ahead of the launch of the iPhone 5 on September 12. Foxconn is apparently facing a labor shortage of up to 10,000 laborers and local authorities have allegedly forced institutes in the area to send their students to work, disrupting academic schedule.
The students allege that the company has not signed any agreement with them and their institutions have not informed their parents and have been threatened with punishment if they leave the “internship.” Foxconn is paying these students 1,550 Yuan ($244) a month for 12-hour shifts spanning six days a week. However, these students have to shell out a few hundred Yuan for their food and accommodation.
This is not the first time Foxconn has come under the spotlight for poor working conditions in its plants. Earlier, Apple had promised it would look into the working conditions at its manufacturing partners’ facilities and ensure no laws are being flouted. Foxconn has plans to hire a million robots in its assembly lines around the world to replace human workers by 2014.
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