I've been reluctant to write about the recent labor issues in China. Not that long ago, I mentioned in my blog post the "work-to-death" attitude many Chinese people possess. But it doesn't make the dozen or so suicides at electronics manufacturer Foxconn Technology Group any less shocking.

While the case is under investigation by a team led by central-government specialists, the basic facts are said to be simple: within five months, 13 migrant workers - mostly younger than 30 years of age, some with college degrees - attempted to end their lives by jumping out of Foxconn buildings in Shenzhen, and 11 of them died.

There are different schools of thoughts speculating the possible causes. Foxconn's owner Terry Kuo suspected that some of the workers may have traded their lives for the death-in-service benefit. Foxconn has since given its production line workers a 30 percent pay raise, but the company may have decided to stop compensating suicides, according to some reports.

One popular perspective among Chinese nationals on online discussion forums blames the inhumane work schedule at Foxconn factories: 12 hours per day with night shift rotation, plus overtime on weekend and holidays. The huge amount of overtime bumps up the monthly paycheck, but the hourly rate just touches Shenzhen's minimum wage.

Some may argue that these workers accepted the hectic schedule on a voluntary basis. Nobody forced them. Does that it make the practice right, according to either China's labor laws or just the human common sense?

This week, Apple's Steve Jobs told the All Things Digital Conference that Foxconn's factories are not sweat shops, because they've got restaurants, movie theaters, hospitals and swimming pools. He also stated that Foxconn's suicide rate among its 400,000 workers in Shenzhen is still lower than the national average in the US.

I don't know how many of the dead workers ever had time to check out the movie theaters or swimming pools. But I've seen photos of Foxconn's cafeterias, where thousands of workers quickly feed themselves with food served on stainless steel trays in one large hall. It's hardly anything a Westerner would think of as a "restaurant".

"The food service is very efficient," a self-claimed Foxconn employee said in an online post, "so that we can finish the rituals as soon as possible and go back to the production line."

As for the Apple CEO's seemingly logical comparison of suicide rates, it's really comparing apples with oranges. A fair and scientific evaluation should take into account various factors including at least country/culture, age group, education level, profession, physical and mental health history, use of alcohol and drugs.

Following the Foxconn tragedy, Honda's Chinese workers decided to protest in a less self-sacrificing way. They put on an unprecedented strike that forced the automaker to halt production and eventually to offer a 24 percent raise earlier this week.