Foxconn shares dip on continuing deaths

A Foxconn worker fell to his death on Tuesday morning, fanning concerns over working conditions at the company’s Shenzhen factory, the Guardian reported. It is the ninth death at the factory so far this year. The cause of the 19-year-old’s death has not been established by police; most of the earlier deaths were classified as suicides. Human rights groups including Students and Scholars against Corporate Misbehaviour protested outside the Taiwan-based company’s Hong Kong offices, blaming the deaths on the poor working and living conditions at the factory. Shares in Foxconn plunged 10% on Tuesday on news of the death, but were up 2.8% on Wednesday afternoon. Major American customers of Foxconn, including Apple and Hewlett-Packard, have expressed concern over the suicides. Critics say that American firms’ existing codes of conduct are insufficient to protect Chinese laborers.