iPad maker Foxconn hikes China workers’ pay

Foxconn Technology Group, the top maker of Apple iPhones and iPads whose factories are under scrutiny over labour practices, has raised the wages of its Chinese workers by 16%-25%, the third pay rise since 2010.

Taiwan-based Foxconn said the pay of a junior level worker in Shenzhen, southern China, had risen to 1,800 yuan (€216) per month and could be raised above 2,200 yuan if the worker passed a technical examination. It said that pay three years ago was 900 yuan a month.

The news comes after Apple — criticised over working conditions at its sprawling chain of suppliers in China — said a US non-profit labour group had begun an “unprecedented” inspection of working conditions at its main contract manufacturers.