Foxconn to PS4 interns: You can terminate your participation at any time

Inside Foxconn’s factory. (Image credit: qz.com)

Foxconn has responded to last night’s report, which went viral while Asia is asleep, that alleged the manufacturer’s use of forced student labor to assemble Sony’s PlayStation 4 (PS4). In a statement given to the Quartz, Foxconn acknowledged that the report was accurate, and said: “Immediate actions have been taken to bring that campus into full compliance with our code and policies.”

Foxconn added that it will be “reinforcing the policies of no overtime and no night shifts for student interns, even though such work is voluntary.” It is also “reminding interns of their rights to terminate their participation in the program at any time.”

Hmm… “reminding all interns of their rights to terminate their participation in the program at any time.”

I’m not sure if the poor interns of Xi’an Institute of Technology would actually be willing to lose six course credits and risk not graduating. If given both options, I guess most of us would have no other choice but to suffer as an intern to secure that degree which you have already worked for at least three years. At this point, it’s unclear why the Xi’an Institute of Technology has decided to force its student to go through this grueling internship.

On a related note, Microsoft’s Xbox is also assembled by Foxconn but (thankfully) didn’t quite make the headlines like Sony’s PS4.

We have reached out to Sony and will update if we hear back.

With so much human labor problems, Foxconn is better off working with robots. Too bad they aren’t quite ready yet.

(Editing by Terence Lee)

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