What if you’ve been working your butt off, but when you ask for a raise in salary your boss tells to either quit your job and receive compensation, or keep your job but receive no additional payment?  What would you do?  Well, a group of Chinese workers thought that a threat of a mass suicide might get their employer to change his mind.

In January 2, 2012, 300 employees of Foxconn Technology Group, the world’s largest maker of electronic components for devices such as  the iPhone, the iPad, the PlayStation 3, the Xbox 360, the Wii, and the Amazon Kindle, threatened to jump from the roof of a building in the Foxconn Technology Park because their employer wouldn’t raise their salary.

The mass suicide was only averted when the mayor of Wuhan, the capital of Hubei province in central China, was able to dissuade them from acting out their plan. The three hundred workers decided it wasn’t worth jumping off a building.

“We were put to work without any training, and paid piecemeal,” said one of the protesting workers, who asked not to be named. “The assembly line ran very fast and after just one morning we all had blisters and the skin on our hand was black. The factory was also really choked with dust and no one could bear it,” he said.

This isn’t the first time workers of Foxconn resigned to committing suicide just to be heard.  Back in 2010, 14 workers from different Foxconn branches in China committed suicide because of discrimination and long working hours.

Another employee, who also asked to not be identified, recalled how the protest started.  The workers’ ordeal began when they were forced to move from Shenzhen to Wuhan, promised to be payed $450 per month, including overtime pay but what they received was a third-less than what was promised.  Aside from that, the unnamed source recalled how the working conditions in Wuhan were worst because of the weather as it can get very cold in that part of China causing some workers to faint.

Bloody gadgets?

Does this mean that the products we love so much are literally from blood and sweat of these workers?  And does this also mean that these brands we go gaga for condone this type of atrocious working condition?  Not necessarily.

Microsoft issued a statement addressing those concerns: “Microsoft takes working conditions in the factories that manufacture its products very seriously, and we are currently investigating this issue. We have a stringent Vendor Code of Conduct that spells out our expectations, and we monitor working conditions closely on an ongoing basis and address issues as they emerge. Microsoft is committed to the fair treatment and safety of workers employed by our vendors, and to ensuring conformance with Microsoft policy.”

The most recent update of the situation reported that most of the workers agreed to return to work after negotiations were held with the company and the local government officials but 45 workers still resigned.  Details of the agreement were not made public.

Foxconn also issued a statement: “The welfare of our employees is our top priority, and we are committed to ensuring that all employees are treated fairly and that their rights are fully protected.”