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Microsoft Mice Made in Chinese Youth Sweatshops?

Posted by CmdrTaco on from the they-get-a-discount-right dept.

An anonymous reader writes "The National Labor Committee offers an in-depth look into working conditions in Chinese sweatshops producing hardware (mice, etc.) for Microsoft, complete with pictures. Apparently, so called 'work study students,' 16 and 17 years of age, work 15-hour shifts, six and seven days a week, for around 65 cents per hour. Microsoft said it is taking the claims seriously and has 'commenced an investigation.'"

6 of 481 comments (clear)

  1. Not only their mice by Tukz · · Score: 1, Flamebait

    I believe all microsoft software is written by the exact same people. ... oh come on, they walked right into that one!

    --
    - Don't do what I do, it's probably not healthy nor safe. -
  2. Knock-offs by Stenchwarrior · · Score: 1, Flamebait

    I GUARANTEE you those are not MS-brand mice. They also make Louis Vitton purses and Chanel sunglasses in the same factory.

    The Asians LOVE America but do not want to pay for the over-priced stuff when they can copy and make it themselves. There's a huge market over there for knock-offs. Do a Google search for Chinese fake products.

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  3. Child labour by western standards, perhaps by Mouldy · · Score: 0, Flamebait

    But they don't consider 15-17 year olds children in China (I don't pretend to know about Chinese law - just putting the idea out there). Also, if $0.65/hour is just enough to live on - so be it. Factory workers here (UK) are paid 'just enough to live on' too. $0.65 isn't a lot by western standards, but if it can shelter, feed and clothe them over there, it's enough for them. Considering that factory has employees - it's most likely the best work those people can get in that area. If Microsoft & others decided to pack up and stop 'exploiting' - where would all those workers go? Probably to some other factory that pays even less.

    1. Re:Child labour by western standards, perhaps by mswhippingboy · · Score: 0, Flamebait

      The workers – mostly women aged 18 to 25 – work from 7:45 a.m. to 10:55 p.m. They eat horrid meals from the factory cafeterias. They have no bathroom breaks during their shifts, and must clean the toilets as discipline, according to the NLC.

      They sleep in factory dormitories, 14 workers to a room. They must buy their own mattresses and bedding, or else sleep on 28-inch-wide plywood boards. They "shower" with a sponge and a bucket. And many of the workers, because they're young women, are regularly sexually harassed, the NLC alleges.

      So how is this different from the typical startup?

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      Sometimes the light at the end of the tunnel is the headlight of an oncoming train.
  4. Re:More companies too by azgard · · Score: 0, Flamebait

    Better be ready to drop your standard of living by about 1/3.

    Really? I guess during 50s and 60s American people must have been really poor, while they were making all the stuff themselves.

  5. Why is this Microsoft's fault? by AthleteMusicianNerd · · Score: 0, Flamebait

    Why is this not the fault of KYE factory? How come Samsung, HP, or Logitech weren't mentioned in the slashdot article? I think a certain site is a little biased.
    "We are like prisoners," one worker told the NLC. "It seems like we live only to work. We do not work to live. We do not live a life, only work."

    I felt this way for 10 years working in the video game industry. I never blamed it on the publisher...I blamed it on my incompetent employers. I finally left, and it was tough to get OUT!

    These workers should do the same. They should quit, and find new jobs(or vice versa). If they can't find better jobs, they should acquire new skills so they can.