Foxconn Workers Outcry: We Want Overtime! We Need to Earn! China Can't Be Without Foxconn! DON'T GO!

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The Apple manufacturer Foxconn, already embroiled in controversies over tax investigations and land usage, is back in the news. Beginning in November, all of Foxconn’s factories in mainland China have reportedly implemented a five-day workweek with eight-hour days. This seemingly normal policy announcement has unexpectedly stirred significant uproar among Chinese netizens. For many Foxconn workers, nearly half of their wage income is derived from overtime work. Strict adherence to an eight-hour workday would mean that employees would only earn the local minimum wage, which amounts to roughly 2,000 yuan ($274 USD). After deductions for insurance and other fees, workers might take home less than 1,500 yuan. This amount is insufficient for living in major cities such as Shenzhen and Guangzhou, leading many Foxconn employees to express concerns that without overtime work, they simply cannot make ends meet.