Making video games is hard work, but making the consoles to play them on is apparently much harder work. 300 workers at Wuhan's FoxConn Technology Park in Hubei province made their way to their factory's roof and threatened management with "mass suicide" over a dispute regarding pay.

According to various (still unverified) reports from Chinese anti-government news sites, employees asked factory management for raises, but were told to either quit and receive compensation money, or to keep their jobs and continue working at their current salaries. In response, many workers left--but FoxConn did not pay the compensation they had promised. Employees were finally talked out of jumping by the Mayor of Wuhan a day after they started their protest.

So far, neither Microsoft nor FoxConn have given an official statement, but Microsoft has explained:

"Microsoft takes working conditions in the factories that manufacture its products very seriously, and we are currently investigating this issue. We have a stringent Vendor Code of Conduct that spells out our expectations, and we monitor working conditions closely on an ongoing basis and address issues as they emerge. Microsoft is committed to the fair treatment and safety of workers employed by our vendors, and to ensuring conformance with Microsoft policy."

This isn't the first time this sort of thing has happened at FoxConn factories, either--in 2010, there were 14 suicides at FoxConn's Shenzhen factory, involving complaints of low pay and poor working conditions.

There's really no room for anything witty to say here--this is a big problem. With the world economy the way it is, companies all over the world are tightening their belts, sometimes leading to situations like this. What do you think?

via Huffington Post