Foxconn 'forced labor' students return to school

Schools in Huai'an in east China's Jiangsu Province have started to bring back students, who were forced to work at a Foxconn factory and suspend their academic studies for the upcoming new semester, following an official notice.

According to the statement, the Huai'an government has ordered higher education institutions to strictly follow the policies and correct the violations. But students who volunteered to do internship in the factory could stay, China National Radio reported yesterday.

The city government issued the statement after it was reported that thousands of students were driven to a factory run by Taiwan's Foxconn Technology Company since the plant couldn't find sufficient workers for the production of Apple's much-anticipated iPhone 5.

Students accused the local government of forcing schools to send massive labor to Foxconn, Apple's main contract manufacturer, in an attempt to gain favor with the company which has helped boost the local GDP.

The company is in bad need of workers. At an earlier press conference, Chen Tao, deputy mayor of Huai'an, allegedly give priority to Foxconn's recruitment for three months since August while the factory promised 400 yuan (US$63.04) as introduction fee per worker, the report said.

But the government neither gave any clarification on the students' allegations nor revealed details of the schools' violations.

Some students have returned to classes after their schools cancelled the internship program with Foxconn. Yet hundreds of students are still working in the factory.

Local teachers and education officials said the internships were a compulsory course for students to experience working conditions and promote individual ability.

During the one- to two-month internship, the students would work on the production line and were paid 1,550 yuan a month for working six days a week, students said.