Staff at Xbox 360 factory threaten mass suicide

Over 300 workers at a Xbox 360 manufacturing plant in China have threatened to commit mass suicide, following a dispute over pay.

As reported by Kotaku, staff at the Foxconn factory in Wuhan requested a pay rise on January 2. The plant’s managers refused this demand, stating that the employees could either keep their jobs at the current rate, or else quit and receive an undisclosed compensation payment.

Many workers chose the second option, only for the bosses to renege on their offer. In response, the employees took to the factory’s rooftops and threatened to throw themselves off. They were eventually persuaded to come down by the mayor of Wuhan.

While the Foxconn plant makes products for Sony and Nintendo as well as for Microsoft, the staff in question were working on a Xbox 360 assembly line. Microsoft has now promised to investigate the situation:

“Microsoft takes working conditions in the factories that manufacture its products very seriously, and we are currently investigating this issue,” reads the newly-released statement.

“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.”