On the morning when every news outlet in Britain is legally required to give acres of free advertising to Apple it’s reported by Personnel Today that Foxconn, the company which makes iPhones, iPods and iPads as well as supplying Sony, Dell and other firms is asking its workers to “sign a pledge that they would seek medical help if they were ever overcome by suicidal thoughts”.

Prompted by the suicides of eleven workers the company has “started playing soothing music” for assembly line workers; recruited  “hundreds of dance instructors” and set up a suicide helpline.

It’s strange that they should need to. The firm’s website carries an audit by Apple which makes it sound like a great place to work. The site has “employee housing, banks, a post office, a hospital, supermarkets, and a variety of recreational facilities including soccer fields, a swimming pool, TV lounges and Internet cafes.”

The food seems great too: “ Ten cafeterias are also located throughout the campus offering a variety of menu choices such as fresh vegetables, beef, seafood, rice, poultry, and stir-fry noodles. In addition, employees have access to 13 different restaurants on campus. Employees were pleased with the variety and quality of food offerings.”

All the workers’ needs seem to be met. They don’t even have to commute from home: “The supplier owns and leases dormitories that are offered at no charge to employees, provided they help in cleaning common areas to maintain the facility. Workers are not required to live in these dormitories, although the majority do.”

With all that who needs money? That seems to be the company’s attitude too. Monthly salaries are £90 for 12 hour shifts but Foxconn has announced that it is raising them by 20%.

One Ipad costs £500.