24-07-2009 CSR China: Loss of iPhone cause of employee suicide at Apple supplier

Excerpt from the Good Electronics website:

Sun Danyong, a 25-year old employee in Shenzhen of Foxconn, the manufacturer for Apple's iPhone, has committed suicide reportedly over mistreatment he received after a iPhone prototype was lost.

According to local Chinese media, Sun, who had been handling a shipment of 16 iPhone prototypes, was investigated by Foxconn's Central Security Division after one of the prototypes was lost. Unable to bear CSD's interrogation methods which included searching his house, holding him in solitary confinement and facing possible beatings, Sun jumped from a 12-story building on July 16.

Foxconn has released a report stating the process of the investigation done by CSD: Sun took the iPhone prototypes from the company's production line on July 9 and kept them after confirming the total number; one prototype was found missing on July 10; Sun reported the loss of the prototype to his supervisor on July 13 after he failed to find the product and his supervisor reported the loss to CDS on July 15 when three employees were sent to search Sun's house.

Li Jinming, Foxconn's administrative department general manager, said he felt sorrow and regret for Sun's suicide. Li said that Foxconn welcomes the public to point out its internal management deficiencies and had begun to investigate related issues. Li added that Foxconn had suspended Gu, the section chief of the CSD, who might have used inappropriate interrogation methods in treating Sun and would hand him over to the police department for investigation.