SHENZHEN, China - Foxconn International Holdings Ltd., one of Apple's Chinese manufacturers, is asking its employees to sign a pledge that they will not kill themselves as the company tries to control the damage from a spate of suicides among its work force.

The normally secretive Taiwanese company opened its sprawling factory complex in the southern city of Shenzhen to reporters Wednesday after a 19-year-old worker jumped to his death from a building, the ninth apparent suicide this year at the factory that makes iPods and iPhones.

Foxconn Technology Group Chairman Terry Gou bowed deeply several times and apologized but also cautioned there was only so much his company could do.
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"I'm very concerned about this. I can't sleep every night," said Gou, one of Taiwan's best known businessmen. "From a scientific point of view, I'm not confident we can stop every case. But, as a responsible employer, we have to take up the responsibility of preventing as many as we can."

The world's largest contract maker of electronics, which also counts among its products Dell computers and Nokia phones, has been a lightning rod for labor activists who say its working conditions cause misery for its vast work force.

The tour comes after the suicide on Tuesday of Li Hai, 19. He was the latest victim of the suicide surge, jumping to his death from a building at the world's largest contract maker of electronics, which also counts among its products Dell computers and Nokia phones.

Police said Li killed himself after working at the plant for only 42 days, the official Xinhua News Agency reported.

The suicide was the ninth at Foxconn's massive plant in Shenzhen, which employs more than 300,000 people in southern China's Pearl River Delta ? dubbed the workshop to the world. Two other workers have tried to kill themselves by jumping from buildings in Shenzhen but they survived. Another suicide occurred at a smaller plant in northern Hebei province in January.

The highest-profile death occurred in July when Sun Danyong, 25, jumped to his death after being interrogated over a missing iPhone prototype.

Tuesday's death came just three days after a 21-year-old man who worked in the logistics department jumped from a four-story building shortly after finishing the night shift Friday. His motivations were still not known.

Foxconn has asked employees to sign a pledge that they would not commit suicide and accept medical help if necessary, Bloomberg reported, citing a Hong Kong-based newspaper that published a scan of the document supplied by a worker.

Edmund Ding, a spokesman for Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Foxconn?s parent, wouldn?t confirm the report but said the company had recently spoken to employees and asked them to not to commit suicide.

Gou said many of the deaths were most likely caused by a variety of factors including failed romance, an area difficult for the company to get involved in.

But he said Foxconn was consulting with a large group of mental health professionals who have been reviewing the company's personnel records.

Chinese factory asks for 'no suicide' vow - World business- msnbc.com