This report was originally published by Tyler Durden at Zero Hedge
Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos recently became the world’s wealthiest man. While Bezos’ fortune is mostly tied to Amazon’s inflated stock price trading at a nosebleed price/earnings ratio of approximately 265, with a market cap around $811 billion (as of June 08), many questions remain as to just how did Bezos manage to become the world’s richest man by disrupting America’s retail industry?
New evidence from the New York-based China Labor Watch released a report over the weekend following a nine-month back-breaking investigation of working conditions at a manufacturing plant in the city of Hengyang operated by Foxconn Technology Group, which manufactures products for Amazon, including Amazon’s Kindle, Echo smart speaker, Echo Dots, and an array of tablets.
The report offers the first-ever glimpse behind the scenes of how Bezos has become the world’s wealthiest man on the backs of low-paid workers.
China Labor Watch revealed how dispatch workers made up more than 40 percent of the Hengyang Foxconn’s workforce, a significant rights violation of the legally mandated 10 percent ceiling. Chinese dispatch workers, kind of like America’s temporary workers, are given remarkably different working conditions between regular workers.
For instance, regular workers generally receive five days of training; dispatch workers are allegedly only given eight hours of training to assemble some of Amazon’s most popular products, which is far below the legal limit of the mandated 24 hours. Dispatch workers also incur many extra expenses, such as physical examination fees, whereas regular workers do not.
When the American consumer slows its credit card purchases of Amazon products, the Hengyang Foxconn factory generally transitions into its “off season,” which many dispatch workers are temporarily laid off without pay, no social insurance, nor any contributions made to their housing provident fund. According to the Interim Provisions on Labor Dispatch, dispatch workers are to be registered for social insurance and employers are to make social insurance contributions — as mentioned above, that is indeed not the case at Hengyang Foxconn.
No rules, No Problem — Amazon makes billions of dollars by not paying its fair share of wages.
The report explains how regular workers receive extra sums of money for overtime hours and their wages are well above the standard of living; however, dispatch workers earn 14.5 RMB/hour (USD 2.26) with no extra pay for overtime.
If a dispatch worker misses more than two days or is late more than twice a month — their wages are cut to 13.5 RMB/hour (USD 2.11) for the rest of the month.
Dispatch workers’ paystubs affixed to the factory’s wall. (Source: China Labor Watch)
While there are clear distinctions in working conditions between regular workers and dispatch workers at the factory, all workers are subject to long hours and low wages. Workers put in over 100 overtime hours during peak season, and there was an instance of workers working consecutively for 14 days.
The average wage in Hengyang is 4,491 RMB (USD 700.88), however, workers at the factory on average earned wages between 2000 – 3000 RMB (USD 312.12 – USD 468.19) during the off-season. As wages are low, workers must rely on overtime hours to earn enough to maintain a decent standard of living. In spite of that, the factory cuts the overtime hours of workers as a form of punishment for those who take leave or have unexcused absences,” said China Labor Watch.
It is now starting to make sense how Amazon secretly profits at the expense of the poor working class folk.
Night shift dispatch workers arrive at the Hengyang Foxconn plant via mopeds. (Source: China Labor Watch)
Night shift dispatch workers are eating by the roadside. (Source: China Labor Watch)
China Labor Watch provides a summary of the rights violations at Hengyang Foxconn, which allows Bezos to make billions of dollars at the expense of exploiting low wages.
Dispatch workers’ dormitory bathroom. (Source: China Labor Watch)
Living conditions for Hengyang Foxconn dispatch workers. (Source: China Labor Watch)
Immediately after China Labor Watch published the report on the “unethical and illegal” working conditions at Amazon’s supplier factory in Hengyang, the U.S. giant went into full damage control mode — issuing a statement regretting the “issues of concern.”
In its statement, Amazon said: “Amazon takes reported violations of our supplier code of conduct extremely seriously. In the case of the Foxconn Hengyang factory, Amazon completed its most recent audit in March 2018 and identified two issues of concern.”
“We immediately requested a corrective action plan from Foxconn Hengyang detailing their plan to remediate the issues identified and we are conducting regular assessments to monitor for implementation and compliance with our supplier code of conduct. We are committed to ensuring these issues are resolved.”
Kara Hartnett Hurst, Amazon’s head of worldwide sustainability, responded to The Guardian and said, “Amazon recognizes our responsibility to ensure the well-being of factory workers manufacturing products for Amazon.”
Li Qiang, executive director of China Labor Watch, wrote to Bezos last month and detailed the extensive list of rights violations.
“This violates Chinese labour law. Foxconn uses a large number of dispatch workers and violates workers’ interests via these dispatch companies. This practice, in and of itself, is unethical and illegal,” he wrote. “I hope that you can compel your suppliers to improve their working situations and to manufacture Amazon products under ethical conditions,” Li wrote.
Li accused Bezos of enriching himself on the backs of the poor. “The factory employs dispatch workers as a means to cut manufacturing costs,” he said. “Amazon is only concerned about whether or not its supplier factories are completing orders in time and is generally apathetic towards the working conditions.” The result: a tragic mess where Chinese workers cannot make an honest living — where have we seen this before?…Oh yes, the American gig-economy.
“The wages at Hengyang Foxconn are not enough to sustain a livelihood and workers must put in overtime hours so that they earn a sufficient amount to have a decent standard of living. The factory even cuts the overtime hours of workers as a form of punishment,” Li concluded.
While Amazon has pitched to the millennials that it cares about humanity in the modern economy, China Labor Watch exposes the giant tech company as an oppressor – denying its supplier the ability to pay their employees a living wage in a modern sweatshop – so that a few elitist Americans can buy smart speakers they cannot afford. This is not sustainable…
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What a shock. A hypocritical leftist.
While Amazon and their bastard child IMDB promote “diversity,” “multiculturalism” and homosexual lifestyles through mass media, Bezos builds rockets for the rich.
And uses third worlders for slave labor.
So much for the masses ….
The sneak-peak into one of those secret bunkers, showed boring, grammar-school tier Americana, on the walls. It reminded me of the old, public service announcement, that was supposed to play on the rabbit-ears tv’s.
I question an Alternative 3 rocket, built by an uninspired khakistocracy. That’s a low energy failure, begging to happen.
Who gives a shit. We are giving them a job. Like they said, if we don’t buy they get layer off. It’s called capitalism. Buy it as cheap as possible and selling for as much as possible. We built this country off the backs of the chinks, at not much better than slave labor.
“The average monthly wage in Hengyang in 2017 was 4,647 RMB ($725.22 USD)”
I’m surprised that its that high.
that is why some companies are moving back. the employers here can almost pay that pittance and get us taxpayers to subsidize with food stamps, housing and medical.
Better than a part time job, in post-2008 America.
Make them shut it down…..oh wait, then the workers will earn NOTHING.
What we call a sweat shop is a good job for them.
“What we call a sweat shop is a good job for them”
And bad for us. In the day an RCA Radio Corporation Of America paid Americans a livable wage. One of their facilities was located in Camden NJ which was a thriving manufacturing city. Manufacturing fled and jobs fled with it, its now Somalia.
Soooo, you want Amazon to pay the Chinese better wages to help their economy so that Americans can cover that by paying more for their iPhones to drain our economy. Is that about right you f*cking dumb-asses?
I’m really surprised zerohedge promotes this ignorance.
Stuart
Actually we want China to pay US wages so the cost of manufacturing has no advantage being in China. Subbing out your industrial capacity to low cost labor hollows out your manufacturing base.
“paying more for their iPhones to drain our economy.”
What is, “Our Economy”? Its the creation of currency that is used by the world enforced by military might. We in reality don’t have a conventional economy in the classic “supply/demand” sense. What we have is a Ponzi scheme scam farce predicated upon a continuous increase in debt. What we don’t have is the creation of wealth near equal to consumption.
“Actually we want China to pay US wages so the cost of manufacturing has no advantage being in China.”
Yep, that’s the ignorance I was referring to alright…. and it’s all yours.
ALL Chinese factories are sweat shops.
The Chinese government routinely forces millions of small farmers off their farms and into new, medium size cities. The goal is cheap labor. When you buy cheaper goods from third world countries, you encourage the use of low wage labor. This has been going on for decades;Bezos is doing what a lot of Americans are doing.
Yup, Walmart has been doing it for many a year.
I traveled in China and used toilets like that. Actually, I work in a place that has toilets almost exactly like that (yes I am working overseas). Is toilet equity really something we should be worried about? I’m no fan of Amazon or Bezos and go out of my way to avoid giving him my $, but this article is standard hit job.
I don’t buy much new stuff. When I do buy something, I look at where it is made. Most of the time, I can find quality products either from Europe or the USA. Rarely do I buy from China.
I buy direct, not through Amazon, if possible. You learn to appreciate quality and it is an honor to support local businesses.
I like when I see young people making something and selling it at local markets, so I will make a purchase and cough up the little extra even if I don’t even need it.
_
Virtually all clothing is made in sweatshops in China, Vietnam, or other countries. A couple months ago more than two dozen high end retailers were slammed for the same thing.
iPhones are made in China too. This is nothing new. Most technical help centers are in India or Philippines. Nothing new.
When the messiah comes each jew will 2800 slaves
Tea Party 1 threw it in the Boston Harbor, as a statement against mercantilism and learned helplessness.
Tea Party 2 gives blank stares, if you mention corporate welfare.
Just make one thing. Anything. No matter how trivial. If you don’t want a Chinese sweatshop.
Do you want a political awakening. It can be found, right where you are sitting.
What is the first thing you see, right next you.
Don’t get up.
Do this without any interference, from a do-gooder, and you’ll get my point. Try it. I dare you. Nothing can be more controversial.
Maybe, it sits on your desk. Maybe, it’s in the folds of your chair. Can you have it, independently — even the smallest thing.
A very similar comment was erased from fb, yesterday.
The cost of living there is likely much cheaper. The US is giving them a good run with paying cheap for labor in the race to the bottom for desperate workers without union representation. The greed is sickening with global predatory capitalists stacking the obscene profits while viewing workers as animals to be fleeced and easily replaced. I see why all manner of bugs are on the menu there like fried scorpions.
I try not to buy China. You can order MADE IN USA…
sometimes…..check it out.
China junk is cheaper than other sweatshop junk but
it will fall apart after a month or so.
I would rather give American sweatshops my business
why make China rich enough to buy out our most
productive companies. I would rather they stay in
China!
Ever play MONOPOLY??
They are buying all of our industries…..and when they
buy all the properties……the game is over … you lose.
This is exactly what the left wants in America.
I have always gone out of my way to avoid buying amazon stuff. If only amazon has it, I would do without it.
With the lower wage rates in third world countries, the low-tech jobs go abroad with less jobs for Americans. The handwriting is on the wall and its in Chinese!