Tech factory like working at a "prison"

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By Nicole Kobie

Posted on 5 Jul 2010 at 10:12

A tech manufacturing plant in China has been described as being like a "minimum security prison" in a report from the National Labour Committee.

Jabil is the latest factory to come under fire for poor working conditions in China, following a similar report from NLC about the KYE plant that makes peripherals for Microsoft as well as the spate of reported suicides at Apple manufacturer Foxconn.

The NLC report showed workers were forced to stand throughout their 12-hour shifts as they made products for tech firms including HP, Nokia, IBM, Intel and Cisco.

At the end of the 12-hour shift, their legs and arms are so stiff that at first they have trouble walking or moving their arms

"At the end of the 12-hour shift, their legs and arms are so stiff that at first they have trouble walking or moving their arms," the report said, adding workers are allowed only one toilet break per shift.

"Right now, none of the assembly lines in the plant have fixed days off each week, and some lines have gone for months without a single day off," the report added.

Employee searches

Employees are searched before and after their shifts, and night shifts are patrolled by security guards. Workers who make mistakes are forced to read out a "letter of repentance" at the beginning of their next shift or made to stay late to clean toilets.

Jabil said it will investigate the conditions at the factory. "We really do want to do the best for our employees. If there are corrective actions that need taking, they will happen swiftly," Jabil spokeswoman Beth Walters told a US newspaper.

The NLC report comes a week after Jabil announced its quarterly earnings, posting $53 million in net income. "Growth is accelerating and we now expect fiscal 2010 to be a record year for Jabil in terms of revenue and earnings," said chief executive Timothy Main.

An HP spokeswoman said: “We take allegations such as this very seriously. We are investigating the matter and will take all appropriate actions once the investigation process is complete.”

Nokia hadn't returned request for comment at the time of publishing.