“The work itself isn’t inhumane—unless you consider a repetitive, exhausting, and alienating workplace over which you have no influence or authority to be inhumane. And that would pretty much describe every single manufacturing or burger-flipping job ever".
Joel Johnson’s first hand description of the working environment at Foxconn a year ago hits the nail on the head. Terry Gou’s city-like factories have created a showcase for the combined dehumanizing effects which riddle the culture of the manufacturing industry.
Not so long ago a former employee of a well known manufacturing company spoke to me of the dehumanizing effect which had slowly crept up on him over the course of twenty years. He had been a senior manager, but whether you are on the giving or receiving end of oppression, no one who works in a dehumanizing culture is free from its effects.
The terrifying thing for the Foxconn worker, unlike the worker I spoke to, is that there is no escape. They eat, sleep and watch TV at Foxconn. Terry Gou has thought of everything – except the heart cry of the human spirit. When you see him curtly dismissing the suicides as lower than the national average and therefore not problematic, you have to wonder whether Foxconn culture will ever change.
And therein lies a massive challenge for Tim Cook at Apple. Given the enormity of his dependence on Foxconn, will he have the courage to turn his back on this giant supplier if that’s what it takes? Will he invest time and money building an alternative supply chain to the one he himself was responsible for establishing? How many years of Foxconn failing to meet standards will it take for Tim Cook to jump ship? And is the recent appointment of the Independent Labour Association an attempt to lower the bar or to raise it?
Let’s be clear, Apple is no worse than its competitors, probably a lot better. But the eyes of the world are on Apple, and a dramatic, courageous move for spiritual leadership right now would have global repercussions. Tim Cook needs our support and encouragement. We at AWI are ready to give it, whether that's in the East or the West. Will he rise to the challenge?
written by Phil