Original equipment manufacturer Foxconn has frozen the assets of two reporters who broke the story of the deplorable working conditions in its factories.

Writing for the China Business News, the duo in June published a report about the harsh working conditions at the plant. Workers were paid less than $50 a month and had to work 60-hour weeks including Saturdays on a structural basis.

Apple investigated and found that the company violated its supplier code of conduct. Although claims that workers were underpaid were prove wrong, the company was found to engage in objectionable disciplinary punishment, allowed employees to work excessive over time and had an "unnecessarily complex" pay structure.

29 Aug 2006

Foxconn however wasn’t happy. It publicly lashed out against the complaints, charging that its employees simply love to work overtime. But apparently it felt that a PR campaign itself wasn't enough.

The manufacturer now has gone after the two reporters' personal assets, demanding $3.8m in damages. In China's modern legal society, it's rather common that companies file lawsuits against publications, but it's rare for these suits to be filed against individual reporters.

Perhaps its time for Apple to intervene once again and explain Foxconn how to be a good corporate citizen instead of a furious capitalist.

Workers on a leisurely stroll on the Foxconn roof. It just looks like a military style drill.

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