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Reuters, file
Zhang Tingzhen (center) is given a doll to play with by his mother Wei Xiuying while sitting beside his father Zhang Guangde at a Shenzhen hospital in southern China Sept. 26.
HONG KONG - Apple's largest contract manufacturer has been pushing for a Chinese worker left brain-damaged in a factory accident to be removed from hospital in a case that throws a harsh new spotlight on labor rights in China.
Zhang Tingzhen, 26, an employee of Taiwan firm Foxconn, had nearly half his brain surgically removed after surviving an electric shock at a plant in southern China a year ago. He remains in hospital under close observation by doctors, unable to speak or walk properly.
However, Foxconn, which is paying Zhang's hospital bills, has been sending telephone text messages to his family since July, demanding they remove him from hospital and threatening to cut off funding for his treatment -- a move the firm says would be justified under Chinese labor law.
Foxconn confirmed it had sent the messages, saying that under Chinese law the worker must submit himself to a disability assessment, a process that in Zhang's case would require him to be discharged from the Shenzhen hospital and travel the 43 miles to Huizhou, where he was first hired by Foxconn.
As Apple CEO Tim Cook visits China to see factories firsthand, the Fair Labor Association's Auret Van Heerden tells cnbc about the overtime issues and safety risks found at two of Foxconn's factories that produce Apple products.
Risk of brain hemorrhage
The firm said in response to emailed questions that it would be prepared to return Zhang to the Shenzhen hospital after the assessment, though his father said Zhang was unfit to travel and that doctors felt he remained at risk of a brain hemorrhage.
The case has raised fresh questions over the labor record of Foxconn, one of the biggest and most high-profile private employers in China, after a series of well-publicized suicides among its army of around a million workers and recent outbursts of labor unrest.
Report: Riots break out at Foxconn factory in China
It has angered labor activists who say Zhang's plight also highlights China's patchy and sometimes precarious welfare system for workers seriously injured in industrial accidents and point out that there are many workers worse off than Zhang.
"They kept sending me SMSs every day to get my son out of hospital and to appear before an injury assessment body or they will stop paying all expenses, including his medical fees and our living expenses," Zhang's father, Zhang Guangde, said.
"You cannot imagine the suffering they put me through, how I had to fight every inch of the way just to get money so we can take care of our son," he added, speaking at his son's bedside at the Number 2 People's Hospital in Shenzhen.
Zhang was repairing a spotlight on an external wall at a Foxconn factory in Shenzhen, bordering Hong Kong, when he received an electric shock and fell 12 feet to the ground. He has since undergone five operations, has lost his memory, is incontinent and requires careful, regular monitoring.
Worker at Apple-supplier Foxconn in China: 'We're humans, we're not machines'
Workers who are disabled in workplace accidents and covered by insurance are eligible for compensation payouts, once their disability is assessed and graded by a panel of medical experts. The assessment is done after medical treatment is finished.
Foxconn sent the text messages -- and according to Zhang's father at one point briefly halted payments to the family -- despite a provincial law stipulating that injured workers can remain in treatment for up to two years before they must be assessed for disability compensation.
The company, however, denied that it delayed or stopped payments, saying it paid them on time.
Zhang, whose case was alerted to Reuters by labor activists, has been in hospital since October 2011.
'At the mercy' of system
Doctors at the Number 2 People's Hospital declined to comment for this article, but Zhang's father, 50, said they had not indicated that he could be discharged and had said they needed to keep his son under observation after implanting a tube in his body to drain fluid from his brain cavity to his bladder.
"The doctor told me they needed to monitor his condition and that for such serious injuries, a person was allowed to be treated in hospital for up to two years. After that, assessors can order treatment to be prolonged," the father said.
Labor activists in China say Zhang is just one of many thousands of Chinese workers who are left permanently disabled or chronically ill by workplace accidents, at the mercy of a system that often requires them and their families to fight degrading battles for treatment funding and compensation.
'This American Life' retracts damning report on Apple manufacturer Foxconn
"China now has laws specifying the types of compensation that are due to workers. But in many serious industrial accidents, companies still put workers or their families through a lot of suffering just to get what is due to them," said Choi Suet-wah of the Chinese Working Women Network in Hong Kong.
"They are robbed of their dignity," said Choi, who has extensive experience working with migrant workers in China.
Zhang is actually one of the lucky ones, social workers say, pointing out that Foxconn has at least been paying his hospital bills and the living expenses of his family, which has moved to Shenzhen from central China to be with him.
Worker suicide at Chinese plant of Apple supplier, Foxconn
They estimate that at least four out of 10 Chinese workers are not covered by any kind of insurance and are left to fend for themselves when seriously injured in the workplace -- despite laws requiring all employers to insure their workers.
"This is just one of many, many industrial accidents in China. And you almost certainly never get what you are entitled to, especially in serious cases," Choi said.
Dad: Son calls me 'mother'
Foxconn says it is insured against workplace accidents, which means its insurer would meet the cost of a compensation payment once Zhang's disability is finally assessed.
But compensation in China can vary depending on the city in which a worker's disability is assessed, and this, according to Zhang's family, is why Foxconn wants him to travel to Huizhou and refuses to have him assessed in Shenzhen.
Labor activists say wages and compensation levels are all substantially lower in Huizhou than in Shenzhen, one of the most expensive cities in China.
When asked why Zhang could not be assessed in Shenzhen, Foxconn said the law required him to go to Huizhou because he had signed his employment contract there. It added that it was prepared to send him back to the hospital in Shenzhen if the assessors determined that he required more medical attention.
In hospital, Zhang walks unsteadily, holding on to the bed frames of other patients in his shared room and, with a smile, sits down next to his father whose face tightens with emotion.
"He calls me 'mother' and calls my wife 'father.’ He can only mimic words you ask him to say, it is meaningless," the elder Zhang said later, holding a jar containing large fragments of his son's cranium. Doctors replaced a portion of Zhang's skull with synthetic bone.
He said that despite Foxconn's funding -- a monthly allowance of 11,000 yuan ($1,800) plus treatment costs -- the family had racked up 200,000 yuan ($31,800) in debt to pay for medicines not provided by the hospital and other expenses.
Back home in central Henan province, the family was building a house for Zhang to live in after his impending marriage when he was injured.
"We were building a three-story house," the elder Zhang said. "The project has since been abandoned and all the building materials we bought have been washed away by rain. But these workers still have to be paid. My whole life is over."
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Leave a Comment:
I know a man that was drawn through and auger at a paper mill, it caused a lot of damage and years of medical care. His medical was covered but it took him five years and a lawyer to receive SSI. I met a young lady in a rehabilitation center while I was learning to walk again after a stroke who's retired parents were trying to get help for her after carbon monoxide poisoning. It is a matter of a few degrees. I think China sucks on so many levels, but I am more concerened about the people around me than something that is happening on the other side of the globe. If you are waiting for the Man who got elected to make your life better you suck.
You have the right idea and I'm glad you see the correlation!!! The reason so many jobs leave the U.S. is because of all the costly and complex regulations, like worker safety and workers compensation. Costly health insurance for workers when the sick ones can just be replaced!? What sense is THAT?!?! If we just got rid of those burdens to the Job Creators, we could bring all those manufacturing jobs back to the U.S.A. and that permanently disabled worker with brain damage could be any one of us Americans! The American Dream!!! Romney and Paul know this and want to roll back those regulations. They want to get those lazy people in the factories working to death so the Job Creators can keep turning out those jobs. Every person that dies on the job is ANOTHER job opening!!! See, you gotta see the silver lining!! ROMNEY AND PAUL!!!
Exactly!
There's still plenty of profit to be made running a business ethically. People need to quit being so greedy. The place I work takes in over 20 billion a year in profit. And you know what, total union shop. Everyone is union, has great benefits, most (not all) things are produced in the US. The only things produced outside the us are sold outside the us.
Don't worry about it this little news article apple users, the only thing that matters is your precious apple products, who cares about human rights? :)
Don't worry about it GOP followers as long we keep outsourcing work to boost profits this kind of crap won't happen to your US workers who have that horrible thing called human rights. :)
Outsourcing happened because of trade policies of both political parties for two examples we have President Carter allowing China to dump it's steel on American markets, it was sold for less than it cost to make. Then we have the Clinton Global Initiative, this little gem brought us ethanol and NAFTA. By the by the Big O has allowed the oil companies and drilling companies to continue to drill hydrofrAcking ( you can substitute the A with the vowel of your choice) wells that destroy 3 to 6 million gallons of fresh water for each well. They, them, those guys do not know how many wells have been drilled. You cannot find how many wells have been drilled because no one knows. Like I said in my previous post If you are waiting for the Man that is elected to make your life better you suck.
Domewars - Please, regale us with your wisdom. Show us how the GOP shaped policy to send all the manufacturing jobs to China despite the Democrats best efforts to stop. Point the vote where the Democrats filibustered the bill as long as they could before they were forced to bow down before the mighty might of the GOP.
BTW, where do you think most of the parts that went into the computer you posted your comment with were manufactured?
Back in the 90's I was a consultant for Foxconn stateside. Short time later I was done with that circus. If Apple really needs someone to build the iPhone in the USA they should look up "Onshore Technologies" 2771 Plaza Del Amo, Torrance, CA 90503 310.533.4888
I challenge Apple to follow thru...and maybe I'll buy an iPhone.
this the real legacy of steve jobs - the one who brought apple to its great heights of profit for its investors. obviously, their degree of morality is suffering from zero tolerance in the suffering arena. steve jobs was a mercenary and a whore. he pimped his company to china and here, where life is obviously cheap and shamelessly degrading, he felt secure and successful as a great businessman. mitt is the same way, but is blowing smoke up everyone's arses trying and failing to convince them, the electorate that he is a real genuine human being.
they the gop, foxconn, profit benders, exploiters are the true criminals. shame is beyond their scope.
obama/biden 2012
hu jintao should reread his eight disgraces and eight primises.
I was horrified by this story. But after reading the posts, I'm even more horrified to note that it seems quite possible that this worker (who one poster above actually called "useless" and therefore undeserving, on account of his work-place related injury) shouldn't expect to be treated the same way, or even worse, by his insurance company here in the US.
This would be the future of the american worker if the GOP had its say!
This is Obama Care at work. take 2 pills and get back to work or die. I'm GOP and I will never by an Apple product
Do you buy sony? Visio? Dell? HP? Cisco? Amazon's Kindle? Sony's PS3? XBox? ETc. All manufactured (at least in part) by foxconn.
Also, Obama care doesn't apply in china. I don't know if you know how countries work but each one gets their own government.
If Americans had the will to just stop buying stuff made in China this kind of behavior might end,or maybe more companies might build here. But we all love our stuff and we have to have the latest and greatest or our lives are incomplete.
In 2020, after Mitt's two terms, the parties will be renamed: Eloi and Morloks, to correspond to their positions in society. If the names aren't familiar, read H. G. Wells, "The Time Machine."
At least the Eloi have the hot blondes.In the movie anyway. The original movie that is.
You think it only happens in China why don't we look around right here in the USA way before Mitt was even thinking about running for President this same thing is happened here.
All companies large of small ALWAYS think of their bottom line so please stop berating this company just look around in our own backyard and see what is happening.
True,But at least here there is some hope of getting some help.
Only 73 comments? But this is the company that produces your beloved Apple products that many stand in line for over night waiting for a store to open and be the first to purchase. I guess because they're willing to work for a sub-standard income and get screwed over when they're injured, it's okay, they're not real people. That's okay...we're all next.
We'll see the same kind of thing here under Insurance companies (actually we already do)... they cap coverage and you're on your own once that cap is reached. Not rich so you can pay for it? Too bad, so sad, bye-bye.
The death panels the Repubs are always whining about? We have them under their plan.
When are people going to accept the fact that many other parts of the world do not share the same values that we do? Particularly in a country like China, where you're just a cog in the greater gear mechanism. We cannot change other people's values. The only thing we can do is persuade American companies to stop supporting these countries with their corporate dollars. Fat chance!
APPLE Sucks. Good riddance to Steve Jobs !
Can using foxconn really be worth it to apple vis the positive press they would get from opening a plant in california? No apple products for my family until they figure this out!
Supposing they did that, they should get to print "No chinese were injured in the making of this device".
Once again it all comes down to GREED!!!! Ship all of the blue collar jobs overseas as we are not making enough money off of the American worker!!! 1 billion a year in profits just does not cut it, we need billions!!!! Hire the Chinese for a cup of rice a day and $5 a week with no benefits. Yeah that's the ticket!!!! Screw America the country that makes it all possible for us!!!
Watch and see time is running short, as the countries that we made extremely wealthy take over and all that we stood for is burned to the ground. It is American companies and government that made it all possible, and it All comes back to "the love of money" . What was once "One Nation Under God" is now "One Nation under Deception" as this country is overrun with blind leaders of the blind.
By forcing this man to travel for a med evaluation they are trying to murder him legally................is there some reason he can't be evaluated in the hospital where he is..........USA condones this? Do you condone this?
Sick to my stomach.
There is no money to buy American period. Maybe a small segment of the population does have the capability but overall people here in America do not have 50% more cash to dole out just to buy American.
Sad but true
It's a downward spiral. We don't buy american because we dont have money - because we dont have manufacturing jobs - because we dont manufacture - because we dont have demand - because we dont have money - because we dont have manufacturing jobs - because we don't manufacture - because we dont have demand - because we dont have money ... etc. etc. etc.
Bring the production to California and charge more for the things. Some things are difficult, this one is easy. Apple needs to do the right thing.
When shopping for something, I look at the label, and I find very little "Made in the USA." It's absolutely a thrill for me to see that on a label. However, what does one do....when you have a need, and you see, Made in China, India, Mexico, etc. am I forced to just go without what I need? I detest having to buy things from other countries. I remember the days when about all you would see is "Made in Japan," and we would laugh about it because it was usually made so poorly, it would soon fall apart. I will not vote for Romney because he uses the captured Chinese workers (among many other things about him). It makes me wonder......hmmm, what's in store for American workers if he wins? I suggest you watch the TV show "Shark Tank." I've heard this group of wealthy types ask the contestants "Why would you have your invention made in America when you can have it made in China for pennies?" I wonder if they have visited these countries and observed the conditions in which the people there have to live? Shame on them. If people are expected to work for pennies, then goods and services should be sold for pennies. However, no matter what income you make, you are required to pay the same price for everything as the wealthy do. This is called enslaving people.
While I definitely wouldn't vote for Mitt and agree with you, does the other option do anything about foreign made goods? Nothing will happen either way.
This is why I don't own and won't allow Apple products in my home. People that purchase Apple products are supporting slavery. Although, it is impossible to boycott all "Made in China" products, I would definitely refuse to buy anything manufactured by Foxconn.
I'm with ya there. Sad part is, here's foxconn's customers...
Luckily the only thing on the list I own is by Acer Inc. The rest of the manufacturer's I consider their products to be a piece of CRAP...
I guess the wife's laptop will have to go...
Thanks nolan-4517032
I'm glad you at least try (because normally it's not possible) to buy american. I'm the same way. I can't stand how everyone bitches that all their jobs are outsourced then plops a thousand bucks on a tv made in china. And everyone is guilty of it because there's no choice.
Also, I don't know if Acer's device is entirely made there. Normally companies will make small components at these chinese factories then throw them together elsewhere but who knows really. I think Acer is in taiwan so probably theyre manufactured mostly there.
The problem with capitalism is it eventually leads to ONE person getting everything. Like a game of Monopoly soon one person owns the game and it has to be restarted or discarded.
This is just sad. It's time for corporations to be a little more responsible and employ responsibly. There is still plenty of profit to be made with american made products or at the very least products ethically produced. There's no excuse for things like this.
Yet another reason NOT to do business with China!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Foxconn management is the most apathetic heartless soul-less bunch of morons in the universe. They abuse their workers and then want to throw them under the bus when they are no longer of use to maximize profits for the owner. Why do American companies continue to do business with these scumbags?
Because they are GREEDY American companies.
Seems disingenuous to single out Apple in the headline. Several companies have contracts with Foxconn. This is not an Apple problem, this is a labor exploitation problem.