Xbox workers in China threaten suicide over compensation

Beijing: Dozens of workers assembling Xbox video game consoles threatened to commit suicide by leaping from a factory dormitory in a dispute over compensation that was defused but highlights growing labour unrest as China's economy slows.

Workers said Thursday that colleagues at contract manufacturer Foxconn Technology Group's factory in Wuhan climbed to the top of the six-story building and made the suicide threat last week. The workers said their colleagues were angry after Foxconn said it was closing down the Xbox assembly line and reneged on compensation.

A government official talked them down. Foxconn, which makes iPads for Apple Inc, Xboxes for Microsoft Corp and other gadgets, declined comment.

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Strikes and other job actions have risen in recent months as factories cope with rising costs and declining orders.

AP