Foxconn workers sing its praises, but profit disappoints

Profit at Taiwanese contract maker Hon Hai Precision Industry's grew less than expected in the first quarter, but the main maker of Apple Inc gadgets, whose plants have come under intense scrutiny over working conditions, was in party mood on Saturday.
Some 200 workers from its parent company Foxconn's plants in China sang, danced and cheered the company's billionaire founder at a party in Taipei marking the end of an all-expenses paid seven-day holiday the company arranged for top performing staff.
Foxconn has borne the brunt of criticism over working conditions at Chinese factories, in large part because of its association with Apple, and has become a symbol of the ethical debate over high-priced goods being made at low-cost plants, criticism it sees as unfair. Over the past two years there have been a spate of suicides at the sprawling plants employing over a million workers making iPads and iPhones as well as gadgets for the likes of Microsoft and Nintendo. There has also been a deadly explosion at one plant and occasional fires.