Workers still seeking redress from Apple

The workers

As a factory equipment maintenance worker at Wintek's Suzhou facility, Hu Jie works from 8 in the morning till 8 at night, seven days a week. He was diagnosed in January 2010 with damage from n-hexane, but he decided to keep the physical and mental pains to himself until he could be sure everything was all right.

Hu, 31, says he still suffers occasional symptoms of nervous system failure. When he spent time with his family in neighboring Anhui province for the Chinese New Year, he says, he forced himself to smile to cover up sudden tingling in his legs.

"I don't want to make them worried. My wife asked me many times about the scandal, but I simply told her I'm not one of the victims."

With a monthly income of less than 3,000 yuan - his wife recently lost her job - Hu has to support a family of three and pay 400 yuan a month for his 6-year-old daughter's education.

Hu and the 36 other affected employees who still work at the factory have gotten some help. The local government notified them that 10,000 to 30,000 yuan in disability benefits from the social security fund would be included in their pay, and Hu says he received 15,000 yuan on Feb 19.

Many of the 37 are reluctant to undergo follow-up medical examinations offered by Suzhou Industrial Park, says Liu Jie, its press officer. Hu expresses his distrust of the local hospitals.

"Many victims among us have not fully recovered," he says. "We really hope Apple, a global leading company that claims a safe supply chain, can work with its supplier company to have an independent third party appraise our health conditions and give us due and fair treatment."

Many other affected employees were hospitalized and received medical treatment. Hu considers himself less fortunate because he was prescribed only medication and continued working at the factory.

The local hospital deemed his condition not serious enough for hospitalization, he says.

"Six months later, I stopped taking the medication when the company stopped paying for it, but I'm almost sure that I'm still not quite right."

Hu says he still feels occasional pain in his left leg, and his left little finger is always numb. He says he also has become easy prey to colds and fever, which makes him think his immune system might have weakened. But that is not the worst, he says.

"Above all, I seem to have lost grip upon my life. I cannot make plans for my future, as I'm not sure to what extent my health conditions will allow them," Hu says. "I have no other choice but to continue working at the factory for fear the disease will return and the ensuing high costs of medication, which I cannot afford on my own."

Yao Xiaoping, a 22-year-old from Shaanxi province, says the first thing he did after discharge from the hospital eight months ago was to negotiate with the company for compensation. "The company said I can only get that on a promise of leaving the factory and signing an exemption agreement, which means the company would not take any responsibility if my health conditions worsened in the future."

Yao finally decided to quit in November, with 90,000 yuan in compensation.

He returned to his hometown in Xuzhou and is still recuperating. Yao says his legs and hands still feel numb and that he is always tired after "very little physical exertion. I will try to find a new job after full recovery, although I'm not sure how long that would take.

"To be frank, I don't know what to do if the worst is to come," Yao says. "The compensation would be a drop in the ocean for medical treatment of the disease."