Apple to pay Foxconn employees directly?

After a number of suicides at subcontractor Foxconn, Apple may be looking to deal with employees directly. The deaths are blamed on poor employee morale, bad working conditions, and low wages at Foxconn‘s plants in China. 12 suicide attempts have been recorded so far this year with 10 deaths

Apple is receiving a lot of heat over the incidents. In response, Chinese website Zol (via Engadget) is reporting that Apple will begin paying Foxconn’s employees directly. The company already pays Foxconn 2.3% of the retail price. Rumours say Apple is launching a profit sharing initiative where Foxconn employees will receive 1-2% of the final retail price for each iDevice sold. This would definitely bolster their pitiful wage of $132 per month. Those working on iPad lines will reportedly be the first group to benefit.

Apple has yet to confirm the rumours.

While Apple has received the most attention after the suicides, Foxconn also produces motherboards for Intel, Dell, HP, the Playstation 2 & 3, the Xbox 360 and Wii; cell phones for Motorola, the Amazon Kindle, and Cisco network equipment.