No one likes to be lied to by an employer, though few ever take that dislike as far as Foxconn workers in Mexico. Apparently a group of Foxconn employees set fire to their factory after management attempted to coerce workers into overtime labor without compensation.

Foxconn’s Juarez, Mexico facility uses transportation trucks to ferry workers to and from the plant every day. Yesterday, supervisors at the plant told workers that the trucks had been delayed at a military checkpoint and instructed the employees to continue working until the trucks arrived. As it turns out, the trucks were sitting in the parking lot, presumably parked-in on purpose. It wasn’t the first time the factory had pulled a stunt like this, so the workers decided to get even. They torched the gymnasium, which is where the plant keeps all of its finished cell phones and computers.

Don’t be surprised if there’s suddenly a bit of an iPhone shortage in certain parts of the country.

Source: Gizmodo

Foxconn, the world’s largest electronics manufacturer, has plans to open as many as 10,000 retail locations in China, according to China Daily. That’s a hell of a plan, considering they have virtually zero current retail presence.

The stores will likely be host to the products Foxconn produces, including the iPhone and the Nintendo Wii. As Michael Arrington has it, the stores will also be used to drum up additional business from companies like HP and Dell, with promises of retail presence at the new locations.

If anything, I’m surprised Foxconn would limit itself to third-party (sort of) offerings. Why not go into retail with its own products, at its own prices. China Daily claims the company accounts for nearly 4% of Taiwan’s total exports, more than $55 billion worth. Most people think that’s a gross undervaluation. The real export figure could be as high as $100 billion.