Dream - Just call him Hunter. He refuses to mention his real name to avoid management retaliation. Hunter is one of the workers at Foxconn, China, where iPhones are made. Factory workers in China refer to the job that Hunter does as "screwing screws." To this day, the 34-year-old man works on the assembly line of the iPhone 14 Pro at the Foxconn factory in Zhengzhou, central China.

The translation of the given 'Bahasa' text to 'English' while preserving any html tags is as follows: The task is to take the back cover of the iPhone and a small cable to charge the battery, scan the QR code, remove the adhesive tape, and assemble the two parts by tightening two screws. Then, he places the unfinished phone on a conveyor belt that takes it to the next workstation. Hunter has to complete this task every minute. During a normal 10-hour shift, the target is to install 600 cables into 600 phone boxes, using 1,200 screws. Every day, 600 more iPhones that haven't been assembled are waiting for him.

Apart from taking a one-hour lunch break, he spends his days inside a windowless workshop that smells of chlorine, wearing antistatic clothing and a face mask. If he needs to take a bathroom break, he has to make up for the lost time. Behind the assembly line, the supervisors - known as xianzhang or "line leaders" - monitor the workers' progress through computers and often reprimand those who fall behind.

"I feel like we don't have rights and dignity in the factory," said Hunter, who asked not to be named to Rest of World. "Some line leaders can't go a day without berating others." He hates the insults and boredom in the production line job, but he grits his teeth. The pay will be worth it. Foxconn's factory in Zhengzhou produces about half of the world's iPhones. Dubbed "iPhone City," this city covers an area of ​​5.6 square kilometers and at full capacity employs about 200,000 workers."

Apple relies on just-in-time manufacturing, meaning that Apple does not produce a large inventory of products, but instead makes iPhones according to consumer orders. As a result, the busiest season in this large factory starts around September or October, when Apple releases its new iPhone models, and continues through the end-of-year holiday season until the Chinese New Year, which falls in January or February. When global demand for new phones surges, Foxconn offers much higher salaries and bonuses compared to other blue-collar jobs to ensure that its assembly line can operate at full speed.

When the global demand for new cellphones surged, Foxconn offered higher salaries and bonuses compared to other blue-collar jobs to ensure that its assembly line could operate at full speed. Workers, including rural migrants and students, bear heavy workloads, miss holidays, and follow strict schedules in order to qualify for end-of-month bonuses.

Hunter first started working for Foxconn over 10 years ago as a security guard. He comes from a village in Henan, an inland province that is also home to Zhengzhou, where his parents make a living by growing wheat and corn. Like most of his friends in the countryside, he dropped out of school as a teenager to find work in the more prosperous coastal regions of China. In 2011, when he was around 23 years old, he moved back home after hearing news that Foxconn had opened a new factory in Zhengzhou.

At that time, the Taiwanese manufacturing giant was grappling with a series of suicide cases at the Foxconn factory in the southern metropolitan city of Shenzhen. ***The vast factory complex, all gray dormitories, and weather-resistant warehouses blend perfectly with the outskirts of the metropolitan city of Shenzhen. This large Foxconn factory in Longhua is a major producer of Apple products. It may be the most famous factory in the world; it may also be one of the most secretive and closed-off.

The security guard protects every point of entry. Employees cannot enter without swiping their identity cards; drivers entering with delivery trucks must undergo fingerprint scanning. A Reuters journalist was once dragged out of a car and beaten for taking photos from outside the factory walls. The warning sign outside - "This factory area is legally established with the approval of the state. Unauthorized entry is prohibited. Violators will be sent to the police for trial!" - is more aggressive compared to those outside the Chinese military complex.

In the back of every iPhone, the text is always printed: "Designed by Apple in California Assembled in China". US law stipulates that products manufactured in China must be labeled as such, and Apple's inclusion of this phrase makes the statement uniquely depict one of the most striking economic disparities on this planet: advanced products designed in Silicon Valley, yet assembled by hand. In China.

Most of the factories that produce iPhone components and perform final device assembly are located in the People's Republic of China, where low labor costs and a large number of highly skilled workers have made this country an ideal place to manufacture iPhones. Since the first iPhone was shipped, the company that has played the largest role in its production is Hon Hai Precision Industry Co, Ltd from Taiwan, which is better known by its trade name, Foxconn.

Foxconn is the largest employer in mainland China; there are 1.3 million people on its payroll. Worldwide, among companies, only Walmart and McDonald's employ more people. The number of people working for Foxconn is the same as the number of people living in Estonia. Currently, iPhones are made in several different factories throughout China, but for many years, when it became the best-selling product in the world, most iPhones were assembled in Foxconn's flagship factory covering an area of 225 square kilometers, outside of Shenzhen.

This vast factory used to be home to around 450,000 workers. Currently, the number is believed to be smaller, but it still remains one of the largest similar operations in the world. If you know about Foxconn, it is likely because you have heard about the suicide cases. In 2010, workers on the Longhua assembly line began committing suicide. Worker after worker threw themselves from the towering dormitory buildings, sometimes in broad daylight, on the highway, displaying incredible despair - and as a protest against the working conditions inside the factory.

There were 18 suicide attempts reported in that year alone, and 14 worker suicides confirmed. Twenty more workers were persuaded by Foxconn officials to cancel their suicide plans. This epidemic caused a media sensation - suicides and miserable conditions in the iPhone House. Suicide notes and survivors tell stories of extraordinary stress, long working days, and harsh managers who tend to humiliate workers for mistakes, unfair fines, and unfulfilled benefit promises.

The company's response triggers further anxiety: Foxconn CEO, Terry Gou, installs large nets outside many buildings to catch falling bodies. The company hires counselors and workers are required to sign a pledge stating that they will not attempt suicide. Steve Jobs, on his part, stated, "We have dealt with it" when asked about the series of suicide deaths at Foxconn.

"This is not a good place for humans," said one young man named Xu. He has been working in Longhua for about a year, until a few months ago, and he said the conditions inside are very bad. "There has been no progress since the media reports," said Xu. The pressure of his job is very high and he and his colleagues regularly work 12-hour shifts. The management is aggressive and two-faced, scolding workers in public for being too slow and making promises they don't keep, he said."

His friend, who has been working at the factory for two years and chooses not to be named, said that he was promised double pay for overtime but only received a fixed salary. They paint a bleak picture of a high-pressure work environment where exploitation is routine and depression and suicide have become normal. "Foxconn wouldn't be like this without people dying," said Xu. "Every year, people commit suicide. They consider it normal."***

In the second largest Apple supplier factory in China, pregnant and underage workers are working for 66 hours per week (maximum legal limit in China is 49 hours) while being forced to sign fake attendance cards, according to a non-profit group called China Labor Watch. An undercover investigator from China Labor Watch disguised as a worker in the factory was scolded by a supervisor for requesting a restroom break.

China Labour Watch has just released a comprehensive investigation behind the scenes of three factories that are subsidiaries of the Pegatron Group, which supplies Microsoft, Dell, HP, and Apple. The report accuses separate 86 violations of labor laws and ethics, although most technology media are more focused on the "information" that there will be a new low-cost iPhone.

In a statement, Apple said the report includes claims "that are new to us and we will investigate them immediately. Our audit team will return to Pegatron, RiTeng, and AVY for specific inspections this week. If our audit finds that workers are being paid low wages or not compensated during their work, we will ask Pegatron to fully reimburse their expenses." Based on a secret investigation that lasted for months, the China Labor Watch report provides a comprehensive picture of the lives of workers who make iPhones and iPads.

The following is the daily routine of iPhone workers according to the report: 06:30: Wake up in your dormitory. Wait for the shuttle bus. 08.10: The workers, some of whom are student "interns" who pay part of their wages for school fees, are under 18 years old, or pregnant, start the day with a 20-minute unpaid meeting. They have to shout slogans like "quality, discipline, unity. I am the best! Work hard!" and clap their hands, or stand in front of military attention and be scolded for not meeting the quota. There are three meetings like this in a day.

08:30: Work begins. The workday usually lasts for 12 hours on the assembly line. There is a 90-minute break for eating and using the restroom. No talking. No need to stand. There is no drinking water at your workplace. No cellphones. If you finish the job early, you should sit and read the employee manual. 09:30: Today's task is to install the back cover of the iPad. The quota is 600 per day or 1 per minute. 10:30: Ask your team leader for a restroom break. "No one else wants to go. Only you are annoying!"

12.00: Lunch. In the dining room, the food prices range from 2 RMB or Rp 4,298 to 5 RMB or Rp 10,278 for breakfast, and 5 RMB to 10 RMB or Rp 21,429 for lunch and dinner. The food is "bad", with lunch being mainly reheated; on the positive side, there is free fruit every Wednesday.

13.00: Back to work. Selected discipline quotes from the manager: "If you don't comply, I will expose you under the scorching sun until 12 o'clock"; "Which bastard is talking?"; "Don't speak; be silent! Who is still chatting there?"; "If I ever catch someone who hasn't cleaned up If they raise the area under their chair, the entire assembly line will work overtime without results. Don't make others have problems."

17.00: Rest. The factory environment includes a supermarket, post office, bank branch, hair salon, library with Internet access, basketball court, and gym. The most popular ones are the basketball court and supermarket, despite the soaring food prices. 19.00: No guests. No gossiping. Do not disclose your salary. Smoking is prohibited outside the designated smoking area. Distributing flyers is not allowed. Inciting strikes is not permitted (as it may lead to termination).

20:30: Once a week you have to sign a fake timesheet intended for Apple inspectors. The timesheet records 10 to 16 hours of overtime, while the actual amount is more than 20 hours. Workers rely on overtime hours to earn a decent wage. 21.00: After the evening meeting, and waiting in the security line, take the company shuttle to enjoy better food at the outdoor night market.

22.00: Return to the dormitory, where hundreds of people share a dozen bathrooms. Dormitory rules: No pets allowed. No alcohol. No sitting on the balcony. No switching rooms or beds. No gambling. No outside guests (reason for termination). 23.00: Finally shower. The water is cold. 23:30: Fall into bed exhausted in a room with 11 other workers. Browse the internet on your phone for a few minutes before falling asleep.

The translation of the given text to English while preserving any html tags is as follows: "Tomorrow wake up. Repeat the same rhythm. ***At 5 o'clock in the afternoon. on January 3, 2023, after tightening nearly 800 screws that day, Hunter chose to resign. "I won't come tomorrow," he said to his supervisor. "Alright," he remembered the supervisor's response. Hunter left the workshop happily. "Finally, I am free," he said that night."

During the past decade, he said, he has witnessed his colleagues at Foxconn fainting while working, attempting suicide, and fighting with their supervisors. One of the last iPhone assemblers who committed suicide at Foxconn China, according to The Telegraph, was Zach Young, a 29-year-old male worker. He threw himself from the dormitory building where the workers lived on October 17, 2023, and died instantly. After a month on the assembly line, Hunter understood the reason. "It feels suffocating here. To be honest, working at Foxconn means surrendering one's dignity," he said.

"He hopes he will not return to Foxconn during the next iPhone production season. A story of how sad it is for iPhone workers in China. Expensive products built on the lives of workers who committed suicide due to pressure. A dark irony. (eha)Source: Rest of The World, Guardian, Fast Company, CNN Business, The Telegraph."