Foxconn raises base wages, reduces overtime hours

SHENZHEN, Guangdong - Foxconn announced on Monday it is raising the base wages of its workers on the Chinese mainland by 16 to 25 percent as of Feb 1 and will reduce the number of extra hours they may work.

Liu Kun, Foxconn spokesman, said the rate of the pay raises will differ according to the job location and description and the workers' skills.

The base pay for a new assembly line worker in Shenzhen, for example, will increase from the current 1,550 yuan ($246) a month to 1,800 yuan, and after passing a six-month evaluation, that worker will earn a monthly base salary of 2,200 yuan instead of the current 2,000 yuan.