A whistleblower who revealed that students were being illegally worked at an Amazon device factory claimed to have been 'tortured by police'
Alexa whistleblower demands Amazon apology after being jailed and tortured | Amazon | The Guardian
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2022/jan/30/alexa-factory-whistleblower-i-was-tortured-and-jailed-now-amazon-should-apologise
Major IT companies such as Amazon and Apple outsource their device manufacturing to external companies such as Foxconn, but in recent years poor labor practices at these subcontractor factories have become a problem. In August 2019, it was discovered that students aged 16 to 18 were illegally forced to work at the Foxconn factory in Hengyang, Hunan Province , China, which manufactured Amazon Echo and Kindle. While hiring students is not illegal in itself, we know that Foxconn's factories have forced teachers to work together in forms prohibited by law, such as night work and overtime.
Schoolchildren in China work overnight to produce Amazon Alexa devices | Global development | The Guardian
https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2019/aug/08/schoolchildren-in-china-work-overnight-to-produce-amazon-alexa-devices
Foxconn hired more than 1000 students in the form of 'interns' from nearby high schools and vocational schools to keep hiring costs down and supplement the workforce during peak production. Some students were hired for a long period of two months or more, and uncooperative students were threatened with violence by teachers and adverse effects on graduation and scholarship applications. is.
The issue was whistle-blowered by Tang Mingfang, who was working on supply monitoring at the Foxconn factory at the time. At the time of writing the article, 43-year-old Tang said he saw information about illegal student labor when he accessed the computer system of the factory. 'I also knew exactly how the students were punished and beaten by the teacher. I believe these things are wrong and illegal,' said Tang.
After discussing Foxconn's issues with colleagues, Mr. Tang contacted China Labor Watch (CLW), a Chinese NGO working to improve the working environment. Tang then shared some of the company's documents taken with his cell phone with CLW, and as a result, media around the world covered the illegal labor that took place at Amazon's subcontracted factories. In response, Amazon sent its staff to the factory to conduct an investigation, and Foxconn compensated low-wage workers who manufacture Amazon devices.
However, Foxconn's management has fired most of the dispatched workers and students and has begun investigating the leak of internal documents, and Mr. Tang was arrested by Chinese authorities in August 2019. 'I was very scared because I had never been arrested, especially after being handcuffed,' said Tang.
Although he was released in about two days when he was first arrested, Mr. Tang was arrested again a month later and underwent rigorous interrogation during his detention. 'Police officers hit me many times during the interrogation,' Tang said. 'I refused to sign seven times (on a document confessing that I had leaked trade secrets). Angry police officer They had to sit down overnight because they put my trade secrets on the frame of the bed, making them unable to stand or sit, 'he said, claiming that torture forced him to confess. I am.
In the end, Mr. Tang was convicted and imprisoned for two years, during which time his sick father died. 'My dad always taught me to be a good person, and I believed that justice should be done, and according to my heart, reported a serious breach of the Foxdonn Hengyang factory. But my The imprisonment caused great damage to himself and his family, 'said Tang, who regretted not being able to attend his father's funeral.
Released after his sentence, Mr. Tang filed a proceeding seeking to overturn the conviction, as the confession that led to his conviction was forced by illegal torture. The reason why Mr. Tang made a public appeal while recognizing the risk of retaliation seems to be that it appeals to Amazon, which outsourced device manufacturing to Foxconn. 'I think Amazon should explain to me. Should I really have been sent to jail? If not, Amazon apologized to me with my partner Foxconn and filed a proceeding. They should help and compensate. '
In a letter to Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, Tang said, 'It was too expensive for me, but this situation caught your eye and acted for all Amazon supplier employees. If so, I think all the costs I paid will be rewarded. '' Finally, as your loyal worshiper, as a former employee of your company, as a victim, as a son, as a husband, as a father. I would like to ask you to: Hengyang Foxconn faced his problem, apologized to me, and finally contacted the local court so that the court could revoke my conviction. Please support the appeal. '
CLW director Li Qiang has also sent a letter to Bezos urging him to help Tang. 'CLW calls on China to release this innocent volunteer who provided evidence of labor violations at Amazon's supplier factories, and believes Amazon is responsible for thanking Mr. Tang for helping improve working conditions. All I did was report a worker's infringement at the Amazon supplier factory. I haven't committed any illegal activity. '' Tang was in prison for helping Amazon improve working conditions at the supplier factory. It is unacceptable and unfair to serve in prison, 'CLW claimed.
At the time of writing the article, Mr. Bezos did not respond to Mr. Tang, and Amazon has not indicated that he intends to support Mr. Tang's trial.
Related Posts:
in Note, Posted by log1h_ik