Factory owner denies allegations of abuse of workers in China

An employee at a factory owned by Chinese industrial light fixture maker Foxconn said on Friday he was fired by a company in China and was denied compensation because he was accused of being mentally ill.

The employee, who identified himself as “Jiao”, told CNN that Foxconn officials fired him on December 30 and denied compensation for his mental health issues, but that the company was aware of his claims.

Foxconn spokesman Wang Chunming said on Thursday that the accusations were unfounded and that the Chinese company has nothing to do with the worker’s employment.

He said Foxconn has more than 1,000 workers in the United States, and that Fox, which manufactures the LED light bulbs used in Foxconn factories, employs about 6,000 people.

Fox is the world’s largest LCD lighting company and has factories in California, Georgia, Illinois, Michigan, North Carolina, South Carolina and Texas.

CNN could not independently verify Jiao’s claim.

He told CNN affiliate WCPO that Fox made him the scapegoat because he complained about being mistreated at work.

Fox said the allegations were baseless and denied that any employees were fired.

Fox has been accused by workers and some of China of forcing employees to work long hours and forcing them to work on hazardous projects without adequate medical treatment.

The company has said it has made improvements to its treatment of employees in recent years.

But in an interview with CNN last year, Jiao said he was forced to work 15 hours a day, seven days a week.

He has been diagnosed with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.

He left Foxconn last year and now works as a dishwasher at a local supermarket.

Fox’s China operations have been hit hard by the economic crisis and the Chinese government has tried to shut them down, particularly in the manufacturing and electronics sectors.

Fox and its partner, Shanghai Jiaotong, have been targeted by Chinese authorities for failing to provide workers with proper living conditions.