SHENZHEN, China — Following a string of suicides at its Chinese factories, Foxconn Technology Group raised workers' wages and installed safety nets on buildings to catch would-be jumpers. Now the often secretive manufacturer of the iPhone and other electronics is holding rallies for its workers to raise morale.

The outreach to workers shows how Foxconn has been shaken by the suicides and the bad press they have attracted to the normally publicity shy company. The latest suicide — the 12th this year — occurred Aug. 4 when a 22-year-old woman jumped from her factory dormitory.

A rally today was taking place at Foxconn's mammoth industrial park in Shenzhen, which employs 300,000 and where most of the suicides took place.

Foxconn, part of Taiwan's Hon Hai Precision Industry, has built itself into the world's largest contract maker of electronics, by delivering quality products on thin profit margins for its customers which include Apple, Sony, Dell, Nokia and Hewlett-Packard.

Labor activists say that success has come in part from driving workers hard by enforcing a rigid management style, operating a too-fast assembly line and requiring excessive overtime. The company denies that it treats employees inhumanely and has pledged to prevent more suicides and improve worker well-being.