Games In Asia is reporting that Chinese manufacturer Foxconn has been using forced student labor to produce Sony’s next generation console, the PlayStation 4.
Under the guise of internship, students were being forced to do jobs on the manufacturing site. The report claims that, “Students have been told if they refuse to participate, they lose six course credits, which effectively means they will not be able to graduate” and that “students say that their working hours are exactly the same as regular workers – the only difference is that unlike the workers, the students aren’t being paid”.
The Chinese manufacturer has acknowledge these claims in a statement given to Quartz.
“Immediate actions have been taken to bring that campus into full compliance with our code and policies by reinforcing the policies of no overtime and no night shifts for student interns, even though such work is voluntary, and reminding all interns of their rights to terminate their participation in the program at any time,” reads the statement.
Those 1000 odd students are pursuing their engineering studies from Xi’an Institute of Technology. What are your thoughts about this incident? Let us know in the comments section below.