Family of injured worker sues Foxconn

The family of a severely injured Foxconn employee have sued the company for unfair labour practices, according to Reuters.

26-year old engineer Zhang Tingzhen suffered an electrical shock while working at Foxconn last year. The shock caused Tingzhen to undergo surgery to remove half of his brain.

Now, according to Reuters, the man's family is attempting to sue Foxconn on claims that the company tried to get out of paying the engineers medical bills following his injury.

The Tingzhen family says Foxconn threatened to stop paying Zhang's healthcare costs unless he left the hospital where he was staying and drove 43 miles to Huizhou, China to undergo disability assessment.

The request was made in spite of Zhang's physical health which made it difficult for him to be moved.

Foxconn attests that Zhang was employed in Huizhou and had to be moved to a local hospital in order to qualify for company health benefits. However, according to the Tingzhen family, Zhang was employed in Shenzhen where he was receiving treatment.

The family believes that Foxconn's attempts to move Zhang to Huizhou is part of the company's efforts to stop paying his benefits.

This isn't the first time Foxconn has been accused of mistreating employees. The firm recently was accused of hiring underage interns as young as 14 years old. Foxconn also recently made headlines when a company employee committed suicide.

Foxconn is one of the manufacturers who make Apple products like the iPad and iPhone. Company workers reportedly rioted because of the laborious amount of effort that goes into making an iPhone 5.