Amazon Under Fire Again as China Factory Hires Teen Interns
- Foxconn dismissed two execs that oversaw the Hengyang plant
- Workers’ wages down sharply from prior year, bonus eliminated
Amazon Echo Dot smart speakers
Photographer: Andrew Burton/BloombergFoxconn Technology Group fired two executives at a Chinese plant that assembles devices for Amazon.com Inc., responding to a labor group’s allegations it slashed wages and flouted laws to help deal with rising U.S. tariffs.
It’s the second time Amazon and the Taiwanese company, which makes many of the world’s most popular gadgets, have come under scrutiny for the treatment of workers at the plant in the central city of Hengyang. China Labor Watch last year criticized the facility, which produces Echo speakers and Kindle e-readers for Amazon, for relying on temporary workers -- including high school interns -- and overtime beyond limits set by law. Foxconn said in a statement on Friday it had dismissed the plant’s chief and head of human resources, and punished managers responsible for overseeing use of interns.